THE  LIBRARY 
OF 
THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


V 


f' 


FORTY     YEARS     IN 
SOUTH    CHINA 


THE   LIFE 


Rev.  JOHN  VAN  NEST  TALMAGE,  D.D. 


CY 


Rev.  JOHN    GERARDUS    FAGG 

MISSIONARY   OF   THE   AMERICAN    REFORMED    (DUTCH)   CHURCH, 
AT   AMOY,    CHINA 


NEW  YORK 
ANSON   D.   F.   RANDOLPH   &  COMPANY 

(lNCORrOl;ATEDl 

182   FIFTH   AVENUE 


Copyright,  1894,  by 
Anson  D,  F.  Randolph  &  Company  (Inc.). 


PRESS  OF 

o.  Jenkins'  son, 

NEW    YORK. 


TiH-Fi3 

INTRODUCTION. 

BY   REV.   T.    DE   WITT   TALMAGE,    D.D. 

Too  near  was  I  to  the  subject  of  this  biography 
to  write  an  impartial  introduction.  When  John 
Van  Nest  Talmage  went,  my  last  brother  went. 
Stunned  until  I  staggered  through  the  corridors  of 
the  hotel  in  London,  England,  when  the  news  came 
that  John  was  dead.  If  I  should  say  all  that  I  felt 
I  would  declare  that  since  Paul  the  great  apostle 
to  the  Gentiles,  a  more  faithful  or  consecrated  man 
has  not  lifted  his  voice  in  the  dark  places  of  hea- 
thenism. I  said  it  while  he  was  alive,  and  might 
as  well  say  it  now  that  he  is  dead.  "  He  was  the 
hero  of  our  family."  He  did  not  go  to  a  far-off  land 
to  preach  because  people  in  America  did  not  want 
to  hear  him  preach.  At  the  time  of  his  first  going 
to  China  he  had  a  call  to  succeed  Rev.  Dr.  Brod- 
head,  of  Brooklyn,  the  Chrysostom  of  the  American 
pulpit,  a  call  with  a  large  salary,  and  there  would 
not  have  been  anything  impossible  to  him  in  the 
matters  of  religious  work  or  Christian  achievement 
had  he  tarried  in  his  native  land.     But  nothing 

(3) 

1211551 


Introduction. 


could  detain  him  from  the  work  to  which  God 
called  him  years  before  he  became  a  Christian. 
My  reason  for  writing  that  anomalous  statement  is 
that  when  a  boy  in  Sabbath-school  at  Boundbrook, 
New  Jersey,  he  read  a  Library  book,  entitled  "  The 
Life  of  Henry  Martyn,  the  Missionary,"  and  he 
said  to  our  mother,  "  Mother !  when  I  grow  up  I  am 
going  to  be  a  missionary  !  "  The  remark  made  no 
especial  impression  at  the  time.  Years  passed  on 
before  his  conversion.  But  when  the  grace  of  God 
appeared  to  him,  and  he  had  begun  his  study  for 
the  ministry,  he  said  one  day,  "  Mother!  Do  you 
remember  that  many  years  ago  I  said,  '  I  am  going 
to  be  a  missionary'?"  She  replied,  "Yes!  I  re- 
member you  said  so."  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  am 
going  to  keep  my  promise."  And  how  well  he 
kept  it  millions  of  souls  on  earth  and  in  heaven 
have  long  since  heard.  But  his  chief  work  is  yet 
to  come.  We  get  our  chronology  so  twisted  that 
we  come  to  believe  that  the  white  marble  of  the 
tomb  is  the  mile-stone  at  which  a  good  man  stops, 
when  it  is  only  a  mile-stone  on  a  journey,  the  most 
of  the  miles  of  which  are  yet  to  be  travelled. 

The  Dictionary  which  my  brother  prepared  with 
more  than  two  decades  of  study,  the  religious  liter- 
ature he  transferred  from  English  into  Chinese,  the 
hymns  he  wrote  for  others  to  sing,  although  him- 


Introduction. 


self  could  not  sing  at  all,  (he  and  I  monopolizing  the 
musical  incapacity  of  a  family  in  which  all  the  rest 
could  sing  well),  the  missionary  stations  he  planted, 
the  life  he  lived,  will  widen  out,  and  deepen  and 
intensify  through  all  time  and  all  eternity. 

I  am  glad  that  those  competent  to  tell  of  his 
magnificent  work  have  undertaken  it.  You  could 
get  nothing  about  it  from  him  at  all.  Ask  him  a 
question  trying  to  evoke  what  he  had  done  for 
God  and  the  church,  and  his  lips  were  as  tightly 
shut  as  though  they  had  never  been  opened.  He 
was  animated  enough  when  drawn  out  in  discussion 
religious,  educational,  or  political,  but  he  had  great 
powers  of  silence.  I  once  took  him  to  see  General 
Grant,  our  reticent  President.  On  that  occasion 
they  both  seemed  to  do  their  best  in  the  art  of 
quietude.  The  great  military  President  with  his 
closed  lips  on  one  side  of  me,  and  my  brother  with 
his  closed  lips  on  the  other  side  of  me,  I  felt  there 
was  more  silence  in  the  room  than  I  ever  before 
knew  to  be  crowded  into  the  same  space.  It  was 
the  same  kind  of  reticence  that  always  came  upon 
John  when  you  asked  him  about  his  work.  But 
the  story  has  been  gloriously  told  in  the  heavens 
by  those  who  through  his  instrumentality  have  al- 
ready reached  the  City  of  Raptures.  When  the 
roll  of  martyrs  is  called  before  the  Throne  of  God, 


Introduction. 


the  name  of  John  Van  Nest  Talmage  will  be  called. 
He  worked  himself  to  death  in  the  cause  of  the 
world's  evangelization.  His  heart,  his  brain,  his 
lungs,  his  hands,  his  muscles,  his  nerves,  all  wTought 
for  others  until  heart  and  brain,  and  lungs  and 
hands,  and  muscles  and  nerves  could  do  no  more. 

He  sleeps  in  the  cemetery  near  Somerville,  New 
Jersey,  so  near  father  and  mother  that  he  will  face 
them  when  he  rises  in  the  Resurrection  of  the  Just, 
and  amid  a  crowd  of  kindred  now  slumbering  on 
the  right  of  him,  and  on  the  left  of  him,  he  will 
feel  the  thrill  of  the  Trumpet  that  wakes  the  dead. 
Allelujah!  Amen ! 
Brooklyn,   June,   1894. 


PREFACE. 

The  accompanying  resolution  of  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  of  the  Reformed  Church  in 
America,  November  i6,  1892,  explains  the  origin 
of  this  volume  : 

'■'Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
being  firmly  convinced  that  a  biography  of  the  late 
John  V.  N.  Talmage,  D.D.,  for  over  forty  years 
identified  with  the  Mission  at  Amoy,  would  be  of 
great  service  to  the  cause  of  Missions,  heartily 
recommend  to  the  family  of  Dr.  Talmage  the  selec- 
tion of  an  appropriate  person  to  prepare  such  a 
memoir,  and  in  case  this  is  done,  promise  to  render 
all  the  aid  in  their  power  in  furnishing  whatever 
facts  or  records  may  be  of  service  to  the  author  of 
the  book." 

The  writer  raised  his  pen  to  this  task  with  hesi- 
tancy. He  had  known  Dr.  Talmage  only  little 
more  than  a  year ;  long  enough,  indeed,  to  revere 
and  love  him,  but  not  long  enough  to  tell  the  story 
of  so  rich  and  fruitful  a  life. 

(7) 


8  Preface. 

Dr.  Talmage  was  a  man  of  unconscious  greatness. 
If  he  could  have  been  consulted  it  is  doubtful 
whether  a  public  record  of  him  would  have  ever 
seen  the  light.  His  life  to  him  would  have  seemed 
too  commonplace  and  unworthy.  He  was  exceed- 
ingly careful  in  the  use  of  language.  He  could  not 
endure  exaggeration.  Nothing  so  commanded  his 
admiration  as  honesty  and  accuracy  of  statement. 
That  ought  to  be  suf^cient  to  guard  any  one  who 
speaks  of  such  a  man  against  indiscriminate 
eulogy. 

We  have  endeavored  as  far  as  possible  to  make 
this  memoir  an  autobiography.  To  carry  out  this 
purpose  has  not  been  without  difficulties. 

Dr.  Talmage  did  not  keep  a  continuous  diary. 
He  did  not  preserve  complete  files  of  his  corre- 
spondence as  if  anticipating  the  needs  of  some 
possible  biographer. 

The  author's  enforced  retirement  from  the  mis- 
sion field  in  the  midst  of  collecting  and  sifting 
material,  has  been  no  small  drawback. 

It  is  hoped,  however,  that  enough  has  been 
gleaned  to  justify  publication.  Sincerest  thanks 
are  due  to  those  brethren  who  contributed  to  the 
concluding  chapter,  "In  Memoriam." 

If  these  pages  may  more  fully  acquaint  the 
Church  of    Christ  with   a    name    which    it    should 


Preface.  9 

not  willingly  let  die,  and  deepen  interest  in  and 
hasten  by  the  least  hair-breadth  the  redemption  of 
"  China's  Millions,"  the  author  will  feel  abun- 
dantly rewarded. 

John  G.  Fagg. 

Arlington,  New  Jersey, 
October  i,  1894. 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Rev.  John  Van  Nest  Talmage,  D.D.  {FroJidspiecc). 

Chinese  Clan-House, 

Buddhist  Temple,  Ai\ioy,  . 

Pagoda  near  Lam-sin, 

Chinese  Bride  and  Groom, 

Traveling  Equipment  in  South  China, 

Pastor  Iap  and  Family,  . 

The  Sio  ke  Valley 

Glimpse  of  the  Sio-ke  River, 

Scene  in  the  Hakka  Region, 

Girls'  School;  the  Talmage  Manse;  Woman's 
School  (Kolongsu,  opposite  Amoy), 

Pastor  Iap 


PAGE 

26 

64 

90 

1 10 

136 

152 

182 

206 

232 
250 

276 


(-0) 


CONTENTS 


I. — The  Ancestral  Home,    . 
II. —Call  to  China  and  Voyage  Hence, 
HI. — The  City  of  the  "Elegant  Gate," 

Description  of  Amoy  and  Amoy  Island, 

Ancestral  Worship, 

Infanticide, 

Is  China  to  be  won,  and  how? 

Worship  of  the  Emperor, 
IV. — Light  and  Shade,    . 

The  Chiang-chiu  Valley,  . 

Breaking  and  Burning  of  Idols, 

The  Chinese  Boat  Race  and  its  Origin, 

The  Chinese  Beggar  System,  . 

Two  Noble  Men  Summoned  Hence, 
V. — At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos,     . 

Opium,     .... 

Romanized  Colloquial,     . 

Chinese  Sense  of  Sin, 

Primitive  Lamps, 

Zealous  Converts,     . 

The  Term  Question, 

What  it  Costs  a  Chinese  to  become  a  Chris 
tian 

Persecuted  for  Clirist's  sake, 

"  He  is  only  a  Beggar,"    . 

Printing  under  Difficulties, 

Carrier  Pigeons, 

(") 


15 
43 
59 
61 

64 

66 

70 

75 
81 
81 

83 
84 
85 
87 

lOI 

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106 
108 
no 
112 
112 

116 
118 
122 
125 
127 


12 


Contents. 


VI.— The  "Little  Knife"  Insurrection, 
How  the  Chinese  Fight,  . 
VII. — The  Blossoming  Desert, 
Si-boo's  Zeal,  . 
An  Appeal  for  a  Missionary, 
VIII. — Church  Union, 

The  Memorial  of  the  Ainoy  Mission, 
IX. — Church  Union  (continued), 
X. — The  Anti-Missionary  Agitation, 
XI.— The  Last  Two  Decades, 

Forty  continuous  Years  in  Heathenism, 
Chinese  Grandiloquence, 

XII. — In  Memoriam, 

Dr.  Talmage — The  Man  and  the  Missionary 

By  Rev.  W.  S.  Swanson,  D.  D.,  . 
Venerable  Teacher  Talmage.     By  Pastor  lap 

Han  Chiong 

Rev.   John   Van    Mest   Talmage,   D.D.       By 

Rev.  S.  L.  Baldwin,  D.D 

The  Rev.  J.  V.  N.  Talmage,  D.D.     By  Rev. 

Talbot  W.  Chambers,  D.D.,  LL.D.,     . 
Rev.  John  Van  Nest  Talmage,  D.D.    By  Rev. 

John  M.  Ferris,  D.D 

Appendix 


PAGB 

160 
164 

185 

243 

261 

261 

277 

279 

282 

289 
295 


THE   ANCESTRAL    HOME. 


(13) 


I. 

THE   ANCESTRAL    HOME. 

John  Van  Nest  Talmage  was  born  at  Somer- 
ville,  New  Jersey,  August  i8,  1819.  He  was  the 
fourth  son  in  a  family  of  seven  brothers  and  five 
sisters. 

The  roots  of  the  Tahnage  genealogical  tree  may 
be  traced  back  to  the  year  1630,  when  Enos  and 
Thomas  Talmage,  the  progenitors  of  the  Talmage 
family  in  North  America,  landed  at  Charlestown, 
Massachusetts,  and  afterwards  settled  at  East 
Hampton,  Long  Island. 

Dr.  Lyman  Beecher  represents  the  first  settlers 
of  East  Hampton  as  "  men  resolute,  enterprising, 
acquainted  with  human  nature,  accustomed  to  do 
business,  well  qualified  by  education,  circumspect, 
careful  in  dealing,  friends  of  civil  liberty,  jealous  of 
their  rights,  vigilant  to  discover,  and  firm  to  resist 
encroachments;  eminently  pious." 

In  1725  we  find  Daniel  Talmage  at  Elizabeth- 
town,  New  Jersey.  Daniel's  grandson,  Thomas, 
during  the  years  between  1775  and   1834  shifts  his 

(15) 


1 6  The  Ancestral  Home. 

tent  to  Piscataway,  New  Jersey,  thence  to  New 
Brunswick,  thence  to  Somcrville,  where  the  stakes 
are  driven  firmly  on  a  farm  "beautiful  for  situa- 
tion," Thomas  Talmage  was  a  builder  by  trade, 
and  erected  some  of  the  most  important  court- 
houses and  public  edifices  in  Somerset  and  Mid- 
dlesex Counties.  He  was  active  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  holding  the  rank  of  major.  It  was 
said  of  hiPA,  "  His  name  will  be  held  in  everlasting 
remembrance  in  the  churches."  He  was  the  father 
of  seven  sons  and  six  daughters. 

The  third  son,  David  T.,  the  father  of  John  Van 
Nest  Talmage,  was  born  at  Piscataway,  April  21, 
1783.  He  was  married  to  Catharine  Van  Nest, 
Dec.  19,  1803.  David  T.  Talmage  was  rather 
migratory  in  his  instincts.  The  smoke  of  the  Tal- 
mage home  now  curled  out  from  a  house  at  Mill- 
stone, now  from  a  homestead  near  Somerville,  then 
from  Gateville  ;  then  the  family  ark  rested  for  many 
years  on  the  outskirts  of  Somerville  and  finally 
it  brought  up  at  Boundbrook,  New  Jersey. 
Though  the  family  tent  was  folded  several  times, 
it  was  not  folded  for  more  than  a  day's  wagon- 
journey  before  it  was  pitched  again.  The  places 
designated  are  all  within  the  range  of  a  single  New 
Jersey  county. 

In   1836  David  T,  Talmage  was  elected  a  mem- 


The  Ancestral  Home.  17 

ber  of  the  State  Legislature  and  was  returned  three 
successive  terms.  In  184T,  he  was  chosen  high 
sheriff  of  Somerset  County.  Four  of  his  sons  en- 
tered the  Christian  ministry,  James  R.,  John  Van 
Nest,  Goyn,  and  Thomas  De  Witt.  James  R., 
the  senior  brother,  rendered  efficient  service  in 
pastorates  at  Pompton  Plains  and  Blawenburgh, 
New  Jersey,  and  in  Brooklyn,  Greenbush,  and  Chit- 
tenango.  New  York.  He  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  from  Rutgers  College,  New 
Jersey,  in  1864.  John  Van  Nest  gave  his  life  to 
China.  Goyn,  a  most  winsome  man  and  eloquent 
preacher,  ministered  with  marked  success  to  the 
churches  of  Niskayuna,  Greenpoint,  Rhinebeck, 
and  Port  Jervis,  New  York,  and  Paramus,  New 
Jersey.  He  was  for  five  years  the  Corresponding 
Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions  of 
the  Reformed  Church.  Rutgers  College  honored 
herself  and  him  by  giving  him  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity  in  1876. 

Thomas  De  Witt,  the  youngest  son,  still  minis- 
ters to  the  largest  church  in  Protestant  Christen- 
dom. What  a  river  of  blessing  has  flowed  from 
that  humble,  cottage  well-spring.  The  wilderness 
and  the  parched  land  have  been  made  glad  by  it. 
The  desert  has  been  made  to  rejoice  and  blossom 
as  the  rose.     The  courses  thereof  have  gone  out 


1 8  The  Ancestral  Home. 


into  all  the  earth,  and  the  tossing  of  its  waves  have 
been  heard  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

In  November,  1865,  Dr.  T.  De  Witt  Talmage 
preached  a  sermon  on  "  The  Beauty  of  Old  Age  "  "^ 
from  the  words  in  Eccles.  xii.  5,  "The  Almond 
Tree  shall  flourish."  It  was  commemorative  of  his 
father,  David  T.  Talmage.  He  says  :  "  I  have  stood, 
for  the  last  few  days,  as  under  the  power  of  an  en- 
chantment. Last  Friday-a-week,  at  eighty-three 
years  of  age,  my  father  exchanged  earth  for  heaven. 
The  wheat  was  ripe,  and  it  has  been  harvested. 
No  painter's  pencil  or  poet's  rhythm  could  describe 
that  magnificent  sunsetting.  It  was  no  hurricane 
blast  let  loose ;  but  a  gale  from  heaven,  that  drove 
into  the  dust  the  blossoms  of  that  almond  tree. 

"  There  are  lessons  for  vie  to  learn,  and  also  for 
you,  for  many  of  you  knew  him.  The  child  of  his 
old  age,  I  come  to-night  to  pay  an  humble  tribute 
to  him,  who,  in  the  hour  of  my  birth,  took  me  into 
his  watchful  care,  and  whose  parental  faithfulness, 
combined  with  that  of  my  mother,  was  the  means 
of  bringing  my  erring  feet  to  the  cross,  and  kind- 
ling in  my  soul  anticipations  of  immortal  blessed- 

*  This  sermon  gives  so  graphic  and  tender  a  portrayal  of 
the  father  of  one  of  America's  most  distinguished  minis- 
terial families,  that  the  author  feels  justified  in  making  so 
lengthy  an  extract. 


The  Ancestral  Home.  19 

ness.  If  I  failed  to  speak,  methinks  the  old  family 
Bible,  that  I  brought  home  with  me,  would  rebuke 
my  silence,  and  the  very  walls  of  my  youthful 
home  would  tell  the  story  of  my  ingratitude.  I 
must  speak,  though  it  be  with  broken  utterance, 
and  in  terms  which  seem  too  strong  for  those  of 
you  who  never  had  an  opportunity  of  gathering 
the  fruit  of  this  luxuriant  almond  tree. 

"  First.  In  my  father's  old  age  was  to  be  seen 
the  beauty  of  a  cheerful  spirit.  I  never  remember 
to  have  heard  him  make  a  gloomy  expression. 
This  was  not  because  he  had  no  conception  of  the 
pollutions  of  society.  He  abhorred  everything  like 
impurity,  or  fraud,  or  double-dealing.  He  never 
failed  to  lift  up  his  voice  against  sin,  when  he  saw 
it.  He  was  terrible  in  his  indignation  against 
wrong,  and  had  an  iron  grip  for  the  throat  of  him 
who  trampled  on  the  helpless.  Better  meet  a  lion 
robbed  of  her  whelps  than  him,  if  you  had  been 
stealing  the  bread  from  the  mouth  of  the  fatherless. 
It  required  all  the  placidity  of  my  mother's  voice 
to  calm  him  when  once  the  mountain  storm  of  his 
righteous  wrath  was  in  full  blast ;  while  as  for  him- 
self, he  would  submit  to  more  imposition,  and  say 
nothing,  than  any  man  I  ever  knew. 

"  But  while  sensitive  to  the  evils  of  society,  he 
felt  confident  that  all  would  be  righted.     When  he 


20  The  Ancestral  Home. 

prayed,  you  could  hear  in  the  very  tones  of  his 
voice  the  expectation  that  Christ  Jesus  would  ut- 
terly demolish  all  iniquity,  and  fill  the  earth  with 
His  gloiy.  This  Christian  man  was  not  a  misan- 
thrope, did  not  think  that  everything  was  going  to 
ruin,  considered  the  world  a  very  good  place  to 
live  in.  He  never  sat  moping  or  despondent,  but 
took  things  as  they  were,  knowing  that  God  could 
and  would  make  them  better.  When  the  heaviest 
surge  of  calamity  came  upon  him,  he  met  it  with 
as  cheerful  a  countenance  as  ever  a  bather  at  the 
beach  met  the  incoming  Atlantic,  rising  up  on  the 
other  side  of  the  wave  stronger  than  when  it  smote 
him.  Without  ever  being  charged  with  frivolity, 
he  sang,  and  whistled,  and  laughed.  He  knew 
about  all  the  cheerful  tunes  that  were  ever  printed 
in  old  '  New  Brunswick  Collection,'  and  the  '  Shum- 
way,'  and  the  sweetest  melodies  that  Thomas 
Hastings  ever  composed.  I  think  that  every  pillar 
in  the  Somerville  and  Boundbrook  churches  knew 
his  happy  voice.  He  took  the  pitch  of  sacred  song 
on  Sabbath  morning,  and  lost  it  not  through  all 
the  week.  I  have  heard  him  sing  plowing  amid 
the  aggravations  of  a  '  new  ground,'  serving  writs, 
examining  deeds,  going  to  arrest  criminals,  in  the 
house  and  by  the  way,  at  the  barn  and  in  the 
street.    When  the  church  choir  would  break  down, 


The  Ancestral  Home.  21 


everybody  looked  around  to  see  if  he  were  not 
ready  with  Woodstock,  Mount  Pisgah,  or  Uxbridge. 
And  when  all  his  familiar  tunes  failed  to  express 
the  joy  of  his  soul,  he  would  take  up  his  own  pen, 
draw  five  long  lines  across  the  sheet,  put  in  the 
notes,  and  then  to  the  tune  that  he  called  '  Bound- 
brook '  begin  to  sing: 

'As  when  the  weary  trav'Ier  gains 
The  height  of  some  o'erlooking  hill, 

His  heart  revives  if,  'cross  the  plains, 
He  eyes  his  home,  tho'  distant  still : 

'  Thus,  when  the  Christian  pilgrim  views, 
By  faith,  his  mansion  in  the  skies; 
The  sight  his  fainting  strength  renews. 
And  wings  his  speed  to  reach  the  prize. 

"  'Tis  there,"  he  says,  "  I  am  to  dwell 
"With  Jesus  in  the  realms  of  day : 
There  I  shall  bid  my  cares  farewell. 
And  he  will  wipe  my  tears  away." ' 

"  But  few  families  fell  heir  to  so  large  a  pile  of 
well-studied  note-books.  He  was  ready,  at  proper 
times,  for  all  kinds  of  innocent  amusement.  He 
often  felt  a  merriment  that  not  only  touched  the 
lips,  but  played  upon  every  fibre  of  the  body,  and 
rolled  down  into  the  very  depths  of  his  soul,  with 
long   reverberations.     No   one  that    I    ever   knew 


22  The  Ancestral  Home. 

understood  more  fully  the  science  of  a  good  laugh. 
He  was  not  only  quick  to  recognize  hilarity  when 
created  by  others,  but  was  always  ready  to  do  his 
share  toward  making  it.  Before  extreme  old  age, 
he  could  outrun  and  outleap  any  of  his  children. 
He  did  not  hide  his  satisfaction  at  having  out- 
walked some  one  who  boasted  of  his  pedestrianism, 
or  at  having  been  able  to  swing  the  scythe  after  all 
the  rest  of  the  harvesters  had  dropped  from  ex- 
haustion, or  at  having,  in  legislative  hall,  tripped 
up  some  villanous  scheme  for  robbing  the  public 
treasury.  We  never  had  our  ears  boxed,  as  some 
children  I  wot  of,  for  the  sin  of  being  happy.  In 
long  winter  nights  it  was  hard  to  tell  who  enjoyed 
sportfulness  the  better,  the  children  who  romped 
the  floor,  or  the  parents  who,  with  lighted  coun- 
tenance, looked  at  them.  Great  indulgence  and 
leniency  characterized  his  family  rule,  but  the  re- 
membrance of  at  least  one  correction  more  em- 
phatic than  pleasing  proves  that  he  was  not  like 
Eli  of  old,  who  had  wayward  sons  and  restrained 
them  not.  In  the  multitude  of  his  witticisms  there 
were  no  flings  at  religion,  no  caricatures  of  good 
men,  no  trifling  with  things  of  eternity.  His 
laughter  was  not  the  '  crackling  of  thorns  under  a 
pot,'  but  the  merry  heart  that  doeth  good  like  a 
medicine.     For  this  all  the  children  of  the  com- 


The  Ancestral  Home.  23 

munity  knew  him  ;  and  to  the  last  day  of  his  walk- 
ing out,  when  they  saw  him  coming  down  the  lane, 
shouted,  'Here  com  ss  grandfather  ! '  No  gall,  no 
acerbity,  no  hypercriticism.  If  there  was  a  bright 
side  to  anything,  he  always  saw  it,  and  his  name, 
in  all  the  places  where  he  dwelt,  will  long  be  a 
synonym  for  exhilaration  of  spirit. 

"But  whence  this  cheerfulness?  Some  might 
ascribe  it  all  to  natural  disposition.  No  doubt 
there  is  such  a  thing  as  sunshine  of  temperament. 
God  gives  more  brightness  to  the  almond  tree  than 
to  the  cypress.  While  the  pool  putrefies  under  the 
summer  sun,  God  slips  the  rill  off  of  the  rocks 
with  a  frolicsomeness  that  fills  the  mountain  with 
echo.  No  doubt  constitutional  structure  had  much 
to  do  with  this  cheerfulness.  He  had,  by  a  life  of 
sobriety,  preserved  his  freshness  and  vigor.  You 
know  that  good  habits  are  better  than  speaking 
tubes  to  the  ear;  better  than  a  staff  to  the  hand; 
better  than  lozenges  to  the  throat ;  better  than 
warm  baths  to  the  feet ;  better  than  bitters  for  the 
stomach.  His  lips  had  not  been  polluted,  nor  his 
brain  befogged,  by  the  fumes  of  the  noxious  weed 
that  has  sapped  the  life  of  whole  generations,  send- 
ing even  ministers  of  the  Gospel  to  untimely 
graves,  over  which  the  tombstone  declared,  '  Sac- 
rificed by  overwork  in  the  Lord's  vineyard,'  when 


24  The  Ancestral  Iloine. 

if  the  marble  had  not  lied,  it  would  have  said, 
'  Killed  by  villanous  tobacco  ! '  He  abhorred  any- 
thing that  could  intoxicate,  being  among  the  first 
in  this  country  to  join  the  crusade  against  alcoholic 
beverages.  When  urged,  during  a  severe  sickness, 
to  take  some  stimulus,  he  said,  'No!  If  I  am  to 
die,  let  me  die  sober ! '  The  swill  of  the  brewery 
had  never  been  poured  around  the  roots  of  this 
thrifty  almond.  To  the  last  week  of  his  life  his 
ear  could  catch  a  child's  whisper,  and  at  fourscore 
years  his  eyes  refused  spectacles,  although  he  would 
sometimes  have  to  hold  the  book  off  on  the  other 
side  of  the  light,  as  octogenarians  are  wont  to  do. 
No  trembling  of  the  hands,  no  rheum  in  the  eyes, 
no  knocking  together  of  the  knees,  no  hobbling  on 
crutches  with  what  polite  society  terms  rheumatism 
in  the  feet,  but  what  everybody  knows  is  nothing 
but  gout.  Death  came,  not  to  fell  the  gnarled 
trunk  of  a  tree  worm-eaten  and  lightning-blasted, 
but  to  hew  down  a  Lebanon  cedar,  whose  fall  made 
the  mountains  tremble  and  the  heavens  ring.  But 
physical  health  could  not  account  for  half  of  this 
sunshine.  Sixty-four  years  ago  a  coal  from  the 
heavenly  altar  had  kindled  a  light  that  shone 
brighter  and  brighter  to  the  perfect  day.  Let 
Almighty  grace  for  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  cen- 
tury triumph  in  a  man's  soul,  and  do  you  wonder  that 


The  Ancestral  Home.  25 


he  is  happy?  For  twice  the  length  of  your  hfe 
and  mine  he  had  sat  in  the  bovver  of  the  promises, 
plucking  the  round,  ripe  clusters  of  Eshcol.  While 
others  bit  their  tongues  for  thirst,  he  stood  at  the 
wells  of  salvation,  and  put  his  lips  to  the  bucket 
that  came  up  dripping  with  the  fresh,  cool,  spark- 
ling waters  of  eternal  life.  This  joy  was  not  that 
which  breaks  in  the  bursting  bubble  of  the  cham- 
pagne glass,  or  that  which  is  thrown  out  with  the 
orange-peelings  of  a  midnight  bacchanalia,  but  the 
joy  which,  planted  by  a  Saviour's  pardoning  grace, 
mounts  up  higher  and  higher,  till  it  breaks  forth  in 
the  acclaim  of  the  hundred  and  forty  and  four 
thousand  who  have  broken  their  last  chain  and 
wept  their  last  sorrow.  Oh  !  mighty  God !  How 
deep,  how  wide,  how  high  the  joy  Thou  kindlest  in 
the  heart  of  the  believer ! 

"  Again  :  We  behold  in  our  father  the  beauty  of 
a  Christian  faith. 

"  Let  not  the  account  of  this  cheerfulness  give 
you  the  idea  that  he  never  had  any  trouble.  But 
few  men  have  so  serious  and  overwhelming  a  life- 
struggle.  He  went  out  into  the  world  without 
means,  and  with  no  educational  opportunity,  save 
that  which  was  afforded  him  in  the  winter  months, 
in  an  old,  dilapidated  school-house,  from  instructors 
whose  chief  work  was  to  collect  their  own  salary. 


26  The  Ancestral  Home. 

Instead  of  postponing  the  marriage  relation,  as 
modern  society  compels  a  young  man  to  postpone 
it,  until  he  can  earn  a  fortune,  and  be  able,  at  com- 
mencement cf  the  conjugal  relation,  to  keep  a  com- 
panion like  the  lilies  of  the  field,  that  toil  not  nor 
spin,  though  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not 
arrayed  like  one  of  these — he  chose  an  early  alliance 
with  one,  who  would  not  only  be  able  to  enjoy  the 
success  of  his  life,  but  who  would  with  her  ov/n 
willing  hands  help  achieve  it.  And  so  while  father 
plowed  the  fields,  and  threshed  the  wheat,  and 
broke  the  flax,  and  husked  the  corn,  my  mother 
stood  for  Solomon's  portraiture,  when  he  said, 
*  She  riseth  also  while  it  is  yet  night,  and  giveth 
meat  to  her  household.  She  layeth  her  hands  to 
the  spindle,  and  her  hands  hold  the  distaff.  She 
is  not  afraid  of  the  snow  for  her  household,  for  all 
her  household  are  clothed  with  scarlet.  Her  chil- 
dren arise  up  and  call  her  blessed,  her  husband 
also,  and  he  praiseth  her.  Many  daughters  have 
done  virtuously,  but  thou  excellest  them  all.'  So 
that  the  limited  estate  of  the  New  Jersey  farmer 
never  foundered  on  millinery  establishments  and 
confectionery  shops.  And  though  we  were  some 
years  of  age  before  we  heard  the  trill  of  a  piano,  we 
knew  well  about  the  song  of  *  The  Spinning-wheel.' 
There  were  no  lords,  or  baronets,  or  princes  in  our 


The  Ancestral  Home.  27 

ancestral  line.  None  wore  stars,  cockade,  or  crest. 
There  was  once  a  family  coat  of  arms,  but  we  were 
none  of  us  wise  enough  to  tell  its  meaning.  Do 
our  best,  we  cannot  find  anything  about  our  fore- 
runners, except  that  they  behaved  well,  came  over 
from  Wales  or  Holland  a  good  while  ago,  and  died 
when  their  time  came.  Some  of  them  may  have 
had  fine  equipage  and  caparisoned  postilion,  but 
the  most  of  them  were  sure  only  of  footmen.  My 
father  started  in  life  belonging  to  the  aristocracy 
of  hard  knuckles  and  homespun,  but  had  this  high 
honor  that  no  one  could  despise.  He  was  the  son 
of  a  father  who  loved  God,  and  kept  His  command- 
ments. What  is  the  House  of  Hapsburg  or 
Stuarts,  compared  with  being  the  son  of  the  Lord 
God  Almighty?  Two  eyes,  two  hands,  and  two 
feet,  were  the  capital  my  father  started  with.  For 
fifteen  years  an  invalid,  he  had  a  fearful  struggle  to 
support  his  large  family.  Nothing  but  faith  in 
God  upheld  him.  His  recital  of  help  afforded,  and 
deliverances  wrought,  was  more  like  a  romance 
than  a  reality.  He  walked  through  many  a  desert, 
but  every  morning  had  its  manna,  and  every  night 
its  pillar  of  fire,  and  every  hard  rock  a  rod  that 
could  shatter  it  into  crystal  fountains  at  his  feet. 
More  than  once  he  came  to  his  last  dollar;  but 
right   behind  that   last   dollar  he  found  Him    who 


2  8  The  Ancestral  Home. 

owns  the  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills,  and  out  of  the 
palm  of  whose  hand  all  the  fowls  of  heaven  peck 
their  food,  and  who  hath  given  to  each  one  of  His 
disciples  a  warrantable  deed  for  the  whole  universe 
in  the  words,  'All  are  yours.' 

"  The  path  that  led  him  through  financial  straits, 
prepared  him  also  for  sore  bereavements.  The  in- 
fant of  days  was  smitten,  and  he  laid  it  into  the 
river  of  death  with  as  much  confidence  as  infant 
Moses  was  laid  into  the  Ark  of  the  Nile,  knowing 
that  soon  from  the  royal  palace  a  shining  One 
would  come  to  fetch  it. 

"  In  an  island  of  the  sea,  among  strangers,  almost 
unattended,  death  came  to  a  beloved  son  ;  and 
though  I  remember  the  darkness  that  dropped  on 
the  household  when  the  black-sealed  letter  was 
opened,  I  remember  also  the  utterances  of  Christian 
submission. 

"Another  bearing  his  own  name,  just  on  the 
threshold  of  manhood,  his  heart  beating  high  with 
hope,  falls  into  the  dust ;  but  above  the  cries  of 
early  widowhood  and  the  desolation  of  that  dark 
day,  I  hear  the  patriarch's  prayer,  commending 
children,  and  children's  children,  to  the  Divine 
sympathy. 

"  But  a  deeper  shadow  fell  across  the  old  home- 
stead.      The  'Golden    Wedding'    had  been  cele- 


The  Ancestral  Ho7ne.  29 

brated  nine  years  before.  My  mother  looked  up, 
pushed  back  her  spectacles,  and  said,  'Just  think  of 
it,  father!  We  have  been  together  fifty-nine 
years!'  The  twain  stood  together  like  two  trees 
of  the  forest  with  interlocked  branches.  Their 
affections  had  taken  deep  root  together  in  many  a 
kindred  grave.  Side  by  side  in  life's  great  battle, 
they  had  fought  the  good  fight  and  won  the  day. 
But  death  comes  to  unjoint  this  alliance.  God  will 
not  any  longer  let  her  suffer  mortal  ailments.  The 
reward  of  righteousness  is  ready,  and  it  must  be 
paid.  But  what  tearing  apart !  What  rending  up  ! 
What  wil]  the  aged  man  do  without  this  other  to 
lean  on?  Who  can  so  well  understand  how  to 
sympathize  and  counsel  ?  W^hat  voice  so  cheering 
as  hers,  to  conduct  him  down  the  steep  of  old  age? 
'Oh,'  said  she  in  her  last  moments,  '  father,  if  you 
and  I  could  only  go  together,  how^  pleasant  it 
would  be  ! '  But  the  hush  of  death  came  down  one 
autumnal  afternoon,  and  for  the  first  time  in  all 
my  life,  on  my  arrival  at  home,  I  received  no  mater- 
nal greeting,  no  answer  of  the  lips,  no  pressure  of 
the  hand.     God  had  taken  her. 

"  In  this  overwhelming  shock  the  patriarch  stood 
confident,  reciting  the  promises  and  attesting  the 
Divine  goodness.  O,  sirs,  that  was  faith,/^?///',  faitJi  ! 
'  Thanks  be  unto  God  who  giveth  us  the  victory! ' 


30  The  Ancestj^al  Home. 

"  Finally,  I  noticed  that  in  my  father's  old  age 
was  to  be  seen  the  beauty  of  CJiristimt  activity. 
He  had  not  retired  from  the  field.  He  had  been 
busy  so  long  you  could  not  expect  him  idle  now. 
The  faith  I  have  described  was  not  an  idle  expecta- 
tion that  sits  with  its  hands  in  its  pockets  idly  wait- 
ing, but  a  feeling  which  gathers  up  all  the  resources 
of  the  soul,  and  hurls  them  upon  one  grand  design. 
He  was  among  the  first  who  toiled  in  Sabbath- 
schools,  and  never  failed  to  speak  the  praise  of 
these  institutions.  No  storm  or  darkness  ever 
kept  him  away  from  prayer- meeting.  In  the 
neighborhood  where  he  lived  for  years  he  held  a 
devotional  meeting.  Oftentimes  the  only  praying 
man  present,  before  a  handful  of  attendants,  he 
would  give  out  the  hymn,  read  the  lines,  conduct 
the  music,  and  pray.  Then  read  the  Scriptures 
and  pray  again.  Then  lead  forth  in  the  Doxology 
with  an  enthusiasm  as  if  there  were  a  thousand  peo- 
ple present,  and  all  the  church  members  had  been 
doing  their  duty.  He  went  forth  visiting  the  sick, 
burying  the  dead,  collecting  alms  for  the  poor,  in- 
viting the  ministers  of  religion  to  his  household,  in 
which  there  was,  as  in  the  house  of  Shunem,  a  lit- 
tle room  over  the  wall,  with  bed  and  candlestick 
for  any  passing  Elisha.  He  never  shuddered  at 
the  sight  of  a  subscription  paper,  and  not  a  single 


The  Ancestral  Home. 


great  cause  of  benevolence  has  arisen  within  the 
last  half  century  which  he  did  not  bless  with  his 
beneficence.  Oh,  this  was  not  a  barren  almond 
tree  that  blossomed.  His  charity  was  not  like  the 
bursting  of  the  bud  of  a  famous  tree  in  the  South 
that  fills  the  whole  forest  with  its  racket ;  nor  was 
it  a  clumsy  thing  like  the  fruit,  m  some  tropical 
clime,  that  crashes  down,  almost  knocking  the  life 
out  of  those  who  gather  it  ;  for  in  his  case  the  right 
hand  knew  not  what  the  left  hand  did.  The 
churches  of  God  in  whose  service  he  toiled,  have 
arisen  as  one  man  to  declare  his  faithfulness  and  to 
mourn  their  loss.  He  stood  in  the  front  of  the 
holy  war,  and  the  courage  which  never  trembled  or 
winced  in  the  presence  of  temporal  danger  induced 
him  to  dare  all  things  for  God.  In  church  matters 
he  was  not  afraid  to  be  shot  at.  Ordained,  not  by 
the  laying  on  of  human  hands,  but  by  the  imposi- 
tion of  a  Saviour's  love,  he  preached  by  his  life,  in 
official  position,  and  legislative  hall,  and  commer- 
cial circles,  a  practical  Christianity.  He  showed 
that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  honesty  in  politics. 
He  slandered  no  party,  stuffed  no  ballot-box,  forged 
no  naturalization  papers,  intoxicated  no  voters,  told 
no  lies,  surrendered  no  principle,  countenanced  no 
demagogism.  He  called  things  by  their  right 
names  ;  and  what   others  styled   prevarication,  ex- 


The  Ancestral  Home. 


aggeration,  misstatement,  or  hyperbole,  he  called  a 
lie.  Though  he  was  far  from  being  undecided  in 
his  views,  and  never  professed  neutrality,  or  had 
any  consort  with  those  miserable  men  who  boast 
how  well  they  can  walk  on  both  sides  of  a  dividing 
line  and  be  on  neither,  yet  even  in  the  excitements 
of  election  canvass,  when  his  name  was  hotly  dis- 
cussed in  public  journals,  I  do  not  think  his  in- 
tegrity was  ever  assaulted.  Starting  every  morn- 
ing with  a  chapter  of  the  Bible,  and  his  whole 
family  around  him  on  their  knees,  he  forgot  not,  in 
the  excitements  of  the  world,  that  he  had  a  God  to 
serve  and  a  heaven  to  win.  The  morning  prayer 
came  up  on  one  side  of  the  day,  and  the  evening 
prayer  on  the  other  side,  and  joined  each  other  in 
an  arch  above  his  head,  under  the  shadow  of  which 
he  walked  all  the  day.  The  Sabbath  worship  ex- 
tended into  Monday's  conversation,  and  Tuesday's 
bargain,  and  Wednesday's  mirthfulness,  and  Thurs- 
day's controversy,  and  Friday's  sociality,  and  Sat- 
urday's calculation. 

*'  Through  how  many  thrilling  scenes  had  he 
passed  !  He  stood,  at  Morristown,  in  the  choir 
that  chanted  when  George  Washington  was  buried  ; 
talked  with  young  men  whose  grandfathers  he  had 
held  on  his  knee  ;  watched  the  progress  of  John 
Adams'  administration  ;    denounced,  at   the   time, 


The  Ancestral  Home.  33 

Aaron  Burr's  infamy;  heard  the  guns  that  cele- 
brated the  New  Orleans  victory  ;  voted  against 
Jackson,  but  lived  long  enough  to  wish  we  had  one 
just  like  him  ;  remembered  when  the  first  steamer 
struck  the  North  River  with  its  wheel  buckets  ; 
flushed  with  excitement  in  the  time  of  national 
banks  and  sub-treasury  ;  was  startled  at  the  birth 
of  telegraphy  ;  saw  the  United  States  grow  from  a 
speck  on  the  world's  map  till  all  nations  dip  their 
flag  at  our  passing  merchantmen,  and  our  '  national 
airs  '  have  been  heard  on  the  steeps  of  the  Hima- 
layas;  was  born  while  the  Revolutionary  cannon 
were  coming  home  from  Yorktown,  and  lived  to 
hear  the  tramp  of  troops  returning  from  the  war  of 
the  great  Rebellion  ;  lived,  to  speak  the  names  of 
eighty  children,  grandchildren,  and  great-grand- 
children. Nearly  all  his  cotemporaries  gone  !  Aged 
Wilberforce  said  that  sailors  drink  to  '  friends 
astern  '  until  half  way  over  the  sea,  and  then  drink 
to  friends  ahead.'  With  him  it  had  for  a  long 
tir."e  been  '  friends  ahead.'  So,  also,  with  my 
father.  Long  and  varied  pilgrimage!  Nothing 
but  sovereign  grace  could  have  kept  him  true, 
earnest,  useful,  and  Christian  through  so  many 
exciting  scenes. 

"  He  worked    unweariedly   from   the   sunrise  of 
youth,  to  the  sunset  of  old   age,   and  then  in  the 


34  The  Ancestral  Home. 

sweet  nightfall  of  death,  lighted  by  the  starry 
promises,  went  home,  taking  his  sheaves  with  him. 
Mounting  from  earthly  to  heavenly  service,  I  doubt 
not  there  were  a  great  multitude  that  thronged 
heaven's  gate  to  hail  him  into  the  skies, — those 
whose  sorrows  he  had  appeased,  whose  burdens  he 
had  lifted,  whose  guilty  souls  he  had  pointed  to  a 
pardoning  God,  whose  dying  moments  he  had 
cheered,  whose  ascending  spirits  he  had  helped  up 
on  the  wings  of  sacred  music.  I  should  like  to 
have  heard  that  long,  loud,  triumphant  shout  of 
heaven's  welcome.  I  think  that  the  harps  throb- 
bed with  another  thrill,  and  the  hills  quaked  with  a 
mightier  hallelujah.  Hail !  ransomed  soul !  Thy 
race  run, — thy  toil  ended  !  Hail  to  the  corona- 
tion ! " 

At  the  death  of  David  T.  Talmage  the  Christian 
Intelligencer  of  October  25,  1865,  contained  the  fol- 
lowing contribution  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  T.  W. 
Chambers,  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  Second 
Reformed  Church,  Somerville,  New  Jersey,  now 
one  of  the  pastors  of  the  Collegiate  Church,  New 
York  : 

"  In  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century,  Thomas 
Talmage,  Sr.,  a  plain  but  intelligent  farmer,  moved 
into  the  neighborhood  of  Somerville,  N.  J.,  and 
settled  upon  a  fertile  tract  of  land,  very  favorably 


The  Ancestral  Ilojue.  35 

situated,  and  commanding  a  view  of  the  country 
for  miles  around.  Here  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
a  long,  godly,  and  useful  life,  and  reared  a  large 
family  of  children,  twelve  of  whom  were  spared  to 
reach  adult  years,  and  to  make  and  adorn  the  same 
Christian  profession  of  which  their  father  was  a 
shining  light.  Two  of  these  became  ministers  of 
the  Gospel,  of  whom  one,  Jehiel,  fell  asleep  several 
years  since,  while  the  other,  the  distinguished 
Samuel  K.  Talmage,  D.D.,  President  of  Ogle- 
thorpe University,  Georgia,  entered  into  his  rest 
only  a  few  weeks  since.  Another  son,  Thomas, 
was  for  an  entire  generation  the  strongest  pillar  in 
the  Second  Church  of  Somerville. 

''  One  of  the  oldest  of  the  twelve  was  the  sub- 
ject of  this  notice  ;  a  man  whose  educational  ad- 
vantages were  limited  to  the  local  schools  of  the 
neighborhood,  but  whose  excellent  natural  abilities, 
sharpened  by  contact  with  the  world,  gave  him  a 
weight  in  the  community  which  richer  and  more 
cultivated  men  might  have  envied.  In  the  prime 
of  his  years  he  was  often  called  to  serve  his  fellow- 
citizens  in  civil  trusts.  He  spent  some  years  in  the 
popular  branch  of  the  Legislature,  and  was  after- 
wards high  sheriff  of  the  County  of  Somerset  for 
the  usual  period.  In  both  cases  he  fulfilled  the  ex- 
pectations of  his  friends,  and  rendered  faithful  ser- 


T,6  The  Ancestj'al  Home. 


vice.  The  sterling  integrity  of  his  character  man- 
ifested itself  in  every  situation ;  and  even  in  the 
turmoil  of  politics,  at  a  time  of  much  excitement, 
he  maintained  a  stainless  name,  and  defied  the 
tongue  of  calumny.  But  it  was  chiefly  in  the 
sphere  of  private  and  social  relations  that  his  work 
was  done  and  his  influence  exerted.  His  father's 
piety  was  reproduced  in  him  at  an  early  period, 
and  soon  assumed  a  marked  type  of  thoroughness, 
activity,  and  decision,  which  it  bore  even  to  the 
end.  His  long  life  was  one  of  unblemished  Chris- 
tian consistency,  which  in  no  small  measure  w^as 
due  to  the  influence  of  his  excellent  wafe,  Catherine 
Van  Nest,  a  niece  of  the  late  Abraham  Van  Nest, 
of  New  York  City,  who  a  few  years  preceded  him 
into  glory.  She  was  the  most  godly  woman  the 
writer  ever  knew,  a  wonder  unto  many  for  the 
strength  of  her  faith,  the  profoundness  of  her 
Christian  experience,  and  the  uniform  spirituality 
of  her  mind.  The  ebb  and  flow  common  to  most 
believers  did  not  appear  in  her  ;  but  her  course  was 
like  a  river  fed  by  constant  streams,  and  running 
on  wider  and  deeper  till  it  reaches  the  sea.  It 
might  be  said  of  this  pair,  as  truly  as  of  the  parents 
of  John  the  Baptist,  'And  they  were  both 
righteous  before  God,  walking  in  all  the  command- 
ments  and    ordinances    of    the    Lord    blameless.' 


The  Ancestral  Home.  t^j 

Hand  in  hand  they  pursued  their  pilgrimage 
through  this  world,  presenting  an  example  of  in- 
telligent piety  such  as  is  not  often  seen.  '  Lovely 
and  pleasant  in  their  lives  in  their  death  they  were 
not  (long)  divided.'  Exactly  three  years  from  the 
day  of  Mrs.  Tal mage's  death  her  husband  received 
the  summons  to  rejoin  her  on  high. 

"  These  parents  were  unusually  careful  and  dili- 
gent in  discharging  their  Christian  obligations  to 
their  children.  The  promise  of  the  covenant  was 
importunately  implored  in  their  behalf  from  the 
moment  of  birth,  its  seal  was  early  applied,  and  the 
whole  training  was  after  the  pattern  of  Abraham. 
The  Divine  faithfulness  was  equally  manifest,  for 
the  whole  eleven  were  i.  due  time  brought  to  the 
Saviour,  and  introduced  into  the  full  communion  of 
the  Church.  Years  ago  two  of  them  were  removed 
by  death.  Of  the  rest,  four,  James,  John,  Goyn, 
and  Thomas  De  Witt,  are  ministers  of  the  Gospel, 
and  one  is  the  wife  of  a  minister  (the  Rev.  S.  L. 
Mershon,  of  East  Hampton,  L.  I.),  Without  en- 
tering into  details  respecting  these  brethren,  it  is 
sufificient  to  say  that,  with  the  exception  of  the 
late  Dr.  John  Scudder's,  no  other  single  family  has 
been  the  means  of  making  such  a  valuable  con- 
tribution to  the  sons  of  Levi  in  the  Dutch 
Church. 


38  The  AncesU^al  Home. 

"  Mr.  Talmage  was  not  only  exemplary  in  the 
ordinary  duties  of  a  Christian,  but  excellent  as  a 
church  officer.  Shrewd,  patient,  kind,  generous 
according  to  his  means,  and  full  of  quiet  zeal,  he 
was  ready  for  every  good  work  ;  one  of  those  men — 
the  delight  of  a  pastor's  heart — who  can  always  be 
relied  upon  to  do  their  share,  if  not  a  little  more, 
and  that  in  things  both  temporal  and  spiritual.  He 
was  a  wise  counsellor,  a  true  friend,  a  self-sacrificing 
laborer  for  the  Master," 

We  find  the  following  allusion  to  the  life  and 
death  of  his  mother,  in  a  sermon  by  Dr.  T.  De 
Witt  Talmage : 

"  In  these  remarks  upon  maternal  faithfulness,  I 
have  found  myself  unconsciously  using  as  a  model 
the  character  of  one,  who,  last  Wednesday,  we  put 
away  for  the  resurrection.  About  sixty  years  ago, 
just  before  the  day  of  their  marriage,  my  father 
and  mother  stood  up  in  the  old  meeting-house,  at 
Somerville,  to  take  the  vows  of  a  Christian. 
Through  a  long  life  of  vicissitude  she  lived  blame- 
lessly and  usefully,  and  came  to  her  end  in  peace. 
No  child  of  want  ever  came  to  her  door,  and  was 
turned  away.  No  stricken  soul  ever  appealed  to 
her  and  was  not  comforted.  No  sinner  ever  asked 
her  the  way  to  be  saved,  and  was  not  pointed  to 
Christ. 


The  Ancestral  Home.  39 

"  When  the  Angel  of  Life  came  to  a  neighbor's 
dwelling,  she  was  there  to  rejoice  at  the  incarna- 
tion ;  and  when  the  Angel  of  Death  came,  she 
was  there  to  robe  the  departed  one  for  burial.  We 
had  often  heard  her,  while  kneeling  among  her 
children  at  family  prayers,  when  father  was  absent, 
say:  '  I  ask  not  for  my  children  wealth,  or  honor  ; 
but  I  do  ask  that  they  may  all  become  the  subjects  of 
Thy  converting  grace.'  She  had  seen  all  her  eleven 
children  gathered  into  the  Church,  and  she  had  but 
one  more  wish,  and  that  was  that  she  might  again 
see  her  missionary  son.  And  when  the  ship  from 
China  anchored  in  New  York  harbor,  and  the  long 
absent  one  crossed  the  threshold  of  his  paternal 
home,  she  said,  '  Now,  Lord,  lettest  Thou  Thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen 
Thy  salvation.' 

"  We  were  gathered  from  afar  to  see  only  the 
house  from  which  the  soul  had  fled  forever.  How 
calm  she  looked  !  Her  folded  hands  appeared  just 
as  when  they  were  employed  in  kindnesses  for  her 
children.  And  we  could  not  help  but  say,  as  we 
stood  and  looked  at  her,  '  Doesn't  she  look  beauti- 
ful ! '  It  was  a  cloudless  day  when,  with  heavy  hearts, 
we  carried  her  out  to  the  last  resting-place.  The 
withered  leaves  crumbled  under  wheel  and  hoof  as 
we  passed,  and  the  setting  sun  shone  upon  the 


40  The  Ancestral  Home. 

river  until  it  looked  like  fire.  But  more  calm  and 
bright  was  the  setting  sun  of  this  aged  pilgrim's 
life.  No  more  toil.  No  more  tears.  No  more 
jickness.  No  more  death.  Dear  mother!  Beautiful 
mother ! 

"  '  Sweet  is  the  slumber  beneath  the  sod, 
While  the  pure  soul  is  resting  with  God.'  " 


CALL  TO  CHINA  AND  VOYAGE   HENCE. 


(41) 


II. 

CALL  TO  CHINA  AND  VOYAGE   HENCE. 

The  known  facts  in  regard  to  John  Talmage's 
boyhood  and  youthful  days  are  few.  Of  the  known 
facts  some  perhaps  are  too  trivial,  others  too  sacred 
to  bear  mention.  The  sapling  grew.  Of  the  inner 
and  outer  circles  of  growth  there  is  but  brief  record. 

He  spent  his  boyhood  at  a  quiet  country  hamlet, 
Gateville,  New  Jersey.  On  the  ridge  swung  the 
toll-gate,  and  a  little  beyond  might  be  heard  the 
hum  and  rattle  of  the  grist-mill.  His  father  kept 
the  toll-gate.  John  was  a  fine  horseman,  and  found 
great  sport  in  jumping  on  his  horse  and  chasing 
the  people  who  had  "  cheated  the  gate  "  by  not 
paying  their  toll.  John  knew  the  law  and  was  not 
afraid  to  go  for  them.  He  went  to  a  private  school 
under  the  care  of  a  Mr.  Morton  at  the  village  of 
Boundbrook,  two  miles  from  home,  and  generally 
stood  at  the  head  of  his  class. 

He  early  became  the  judge  and  counsellor  among 
his  brothers  and  sisters.    In  any  little  dispute  which 

(43) 


44      C(2//  to  China  and   Voyage  Hence. 

arose,  John's  verdict  was  usually  accepted  as  cor- 
rect and  final. 

During  all  his  missionary  career  in  China,  he  was 
an  adviser  and  arbitrator  whom  foreigners  and 
Chinese  alike  sought  and  from  whose  advice  they 
were  not  quick  to  turn  away. 

In  the  midst  of  the  tumult  among  the  men  of 
Medina  when  they  met  to  elect  a  chief  to  take  the 
place  of  Mohammed,  who  had  passed  away,  the 
voice  of  Hobab  was  heard  crying  out,  "Attend  to 
me,  attend  to  me,  for  I  am  the  well-rubbed  Palm- 
stem."  The  figure  Hobab  used  represented  a  palm- 
trunk  left  for  beasts  to  come  and  rub  themselves 
upon.  It  was  a  metaphor  for  a  person  much  re- 
sorted to  for  counsel.  John  Talmage  never  called 
attention  to  himself,  but  the  Arab  chief  must  have 
counselled  many,  and  well,  to  have  taken  a  higher 
place  than  did  this  messenger  of  Christ  at  Amoy. 

By  the  time  John  Talmage's  school  days  at 
Boundbrook  were  completed  he  had  determined 
to  prepare  for  college.  Preparatory  schools  then 
were  few  and  far  away.  They  were  expensive. 
John  made  an  arrangement  with  his  senior  brother. 
Rev.  James  R.  Talmage,  then  pastor  at  Blawen- 
burgh.  New  Jersey,  to  put  him  through  the  required 
course.  Here  he  joined  the  Church  at  the  age  of 
seventeen.     From  Blawenburgh  his  brother  Goyn 


Call  to  China  and  Voyage  Hence.     45 

and  he  went  to  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  join- 
ing the  Sophomore  class  in  Rutgers  College. 
John  and  Goyn  roomed  together,  swept  and  gar- 
nished their  own  quarters  and  did  their  own  cook- 
ing. Father  Talmage  would  come  down  every 
week  or  two  with  provisions  from  the  farm,  to  re- 
plenish the  ever-recipient  larder.  Both  John  and 
Goyn  were  diligent  students  and  graduated  with 
honorable  recognition  from  Rutgers  College  in 
1842,  and  from  New  Brunswick  Theological  Semi- 
nary in  1845. 

John  Talmage  had  made  such  substantial  attain- 
ments in  Hebrew  and  Greek,  that  when  some  years 
afterward  the  distinguished  Dr.  McClelland  re- 
signed as  professor  of  these  languages  in  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  New  Brunswick,  he  was  talked 
of  as  Dr.  McClelland's  successor,  and  but  for  the 
conviction  that  he  ought  not  to  be  removed  from 
the  Amoy  Mission,  his  appointment  would  have 
been  earnestly  advocated  in  the  General  Synod. 

John  Talmage  had  read  missionary  biographies 
when  a  boy  in  the  Sunday-school  at  Bounclbrook. 
He  had  been  specially  touched  by  the  life  of  Henry 
Martyn.  While  at  college  he  kept  himself  sup- 
plied with  missionary  literature.  His  parents  were 
already  interested  in  foreign  missions.  In  secret 
before  God  his  mother  had  devoted  John  to  this 


46      Call  to  CJiina  and  Voyage  Hence. 

very  work.  John  did  not  know  it.  The  deter- 
mining word  for  liim  was  that  spoken  in  a  mission- 
ary address,  by  Rev.  Elihu  Doty,  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  the  Amoy  Mission.  It  was  plain  that 
he  must  go  to  the  "  regions  beyond."  He  must 
break  the  news  to  his  mother.  John's  love  of  mis- 
sionary literature  and  his  eager  attendance  upon 
missionary  meetings  had  filled  the  family  with  a 
secret  fear  that  he  thought  of  going.  One  day  he 
invited  his  younger  sister,  Catharine,  to  take  a  walk 
with  him  across  the  fields.  He  began  to  talk  about 
missions  to  foreign  lands.  Finally  he  said,  "  Cath- 
arine, you  must  help  me  prepare  the  way  to  tell 
mother  that  I  want  to  go  to  China."  Too  over- 
come with  emotion  was  the  sister  to  reply.  They 
walked  home  in  silence.  John  sought  opportunity 
when  he  could  quietly  tell  his  mother.  Said  he, 
"  Mother,  I  am  going  to  China."  In  the  intensity 
of  a  mother's  love  she  replied,  "Oh,  John,  it  will 
kill  me."  But  the  grace  of  God  triumphed  and 
again  she  said,  "  I  prayed  to  God  for  this,  how  can 
I  object  ?  " 

In  October,  1845,  he  applied  to  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions, 
through  Dr.  Thomas  De  Witt,  the  Secretary  for  the 
Reformed  Church.  The  letter  is  still  in  possession. 
An  extract  from  it  reads: 


Call  to  China  and   Voyage  Hence.     47 

"  1  was  twciity-five  years  of  age  last  August,  re- 
side at  Somerville,  New  Jersey,  have  been  blessed 
with  Christian  parents  and  enjoyed  an  early  relig- 
ious education.  By  the  assistance  of  friends  and 
the  Church,  I  have  been  enabled  to  pursue  the 
usual  course  of  study  preparatory  in  our  Church  to 
entering  upon  the  duties  of  the  Gospel  ministry. 
I  graduated  at  Rutgers  College  in  the  summer  of 
1842,  pursued  my  theological  studies  in  our  semina- 
ry at  New  Brunswick,  and  received  from  the  Classis 
of  Philadelphia,  July  last,  'license'  to  preach  the 
Gospel. 

*'  Owing  doubtless  in  great  measure  to  the  relig- 
ious advantages  I  have  enjoyed,  my  mind  has  been 
more  or  less  under  religious  impressions  from  my 
earliest  recollection.  About  eight  years  ago  I 
united  on  confession  of  faith  with  the  Church 
(Reformed  Dutch)  at  Blawenburgh,  New  Jersey, 
of  which  my  brother.  Rev.  James  R.  Talmage,  was 
then  and  still  is  pastor.  Was  living  in  his  family 
aL  the  time,  and  studying  with  him  preparatory 
to  entering  college.  I  am  unable  to  decide  when  I 
met  with  a  change  of  heart.  My  reason  for  believing 
that  I  have  experienced  such  a  change  are  the  evi- 
dences within  me  that  I  love  my  Saviour,  love  His 
cause,  and  love  the  souls  of  men. 

"  My  reason  for  desiring  the  missionary  work  is 


48      Call  to  China  and  Voyage  Hence. 

a  desire  for  the  salvation  of  the  heathen.  My  mind 
has  been  directed  to  the  subject  for  a  longtime,  yet 
I  have  not  felt  at  liberty  to  decide  the  question 
where  duty  called  me  to  labor  until  the  last  month. 
In  accordance  with  this  decision  I  now  offer  my 
services  to  the  Board  to  labor  in  my  Master's  ser- 
vice among  the  heathen.  As  a  field  of  labor  I  pre- 
fer China." 

Owing  to  deficiency  in  funds  the  Board  could 
not  send  him  that  year.  He  accepted  an  invita- 
tion to  assist  Dr.  Brodhead,  then  pastor  of  the 
Central  Reformed  Church  of  Brooklyn.  Dr.  Brod- 
head was  one  of  the  great  preachers  of  his  day.  In 
Philadelphia,  an  earlier  pastorate,  "  he  preached  to 
great  congregations  of  eager  listeners,  and  with  a 
success  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  that  city  and 
rare  in  modern  times."  John  Van  Nest  Talmage 
might  have  been  his  successor.  But  no  sooner  was 
the  Board  ready  to  send  him  than  he  was  prepared 
to  go.  The  day  for  leaving  home  came.  Father 
r  Talmage  and  the  older  brothers  accompanied  John. 
They  left  the  house  in  three  carriages.  A  younger 
sister  (Mrs.  Cone)  recently  said  :  "  When  we  saw 
the  three  carriages  driving  down  the  lane  it  seemed 
more  like  a  funeral  than  anything  else."  Silent 
were  those  who  drove  away.  Silent,  silent  as  they 
could  constrain  themselves  to  be,  were  mother  and 


Call  to  China  and  Voyage  Hence.     49 

sisters  as  they  stood  by  the  windows  and  got  their 
last  look  of  the  procession  as  it  wound  down  the 
road.  To  go  to  a  foreign  land  in  those  days  signified 
to  those  who  went,  lifelong  exile, — to  those  who 
tarried,  lifelong  separation.  The  only  highways  to 
the  far  East  were  by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  or  Cape  Horn.  The  voyages  were  always 
long  and  often  perilous. 

When  on  board  the  ship  Roman,  bound  for  Can- 
ton, David  Abeel  wrote  :  "  To  the  missionary  per- 
haps exclusively,  is  the  separation  from  friends 
like  the  farewell  of  death.  Though  ignorant  of 
the  future  he  expects  no  further  intercourse  on 
earth.  To  him  the  next  meeting  is  generally  be- 
yond the  grave." 

The  hour  of  departure  was  not  only  saddened  by 
parting  from  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters,  but 
the  young  woman  in  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey, 
to  whom  he  had  given  his  affection,  could  not  join 
him.  Once  it  had  been  decided  that  they  were  to 
go  together,  but  during  the  last  days  the  enfeebled 
widowed  mother's  courage  failed  her.  She  could 
not  relinquish  her  daughter  to  what  seemed  to  her 
separation  for  life.  Mr.  Talmage  had  to  choose 
between  the  call  of  duty  to  China  and  going  alone, 
or  tarrying  at  home  and  realizing  his  heart's  hopes. 
He  went  to  China.     By  a  special  Providence  it  was 


50      Call  to  China  and   Voyage  Hence. 

not  much  more  than  two  years  after  he  set  sail  that 
he  was  again  in  the  United  States.  The  mother 
of  Miss  Abby  Woodruff  had  died,  and  the  union 
was  consummated. 

Mr.  Talmage  kept  a  diary  of  the  voyage.  A  few 
extracts  will  prove  interesting. 

"~^  "Left  Somerville  April  lO,  1847,  via  New  York 
to  Boston.  Sailed  from  Boston  in  ship  Hcber,  April 
15th.  Farewell  services  on  board  conducted  by 
Bishop  Janes,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
The  Hcbcr  is  a  ship  of  436  tons,  136  feet  long,  27 
wide.  Among  the  passengers  are  Rev.  E.  Doty 
and  wife,  and  Rev.  Moses  C.  White  and  wife,  and 
Rev.  I.  D.  Collins.  The  three  latter  are  Method- 
ist missionaries  bound  for  Foochow  (China)."  They 
were  the  pioneers  of  Methodist  missions  in  China. 

On  Thursday  evening,  the  day  of  sailing,  he 
writes  :  "  I  am  now  upon  the  bosom  of  the  mighty 
deep.  But  I  cannot  as  yet  feel  any  fear.  I  am  in 
the  hands  of  the  Being  '  whose  I  am  and  whom  I 
serve.'  In  His  hands  there  is  safety.  I  will  not 
fear  though  the  earth  be  removed.  Besides,  there 
are  Christian  friends  praying  for  me.  Oh,  the  con- 
solation in  the  assurance  that  at  the  throne  of 
grace  I  am  remembered  by  near  and  dear  friends! 
Will  not  their  prayers  be  heard?  They  will.  I 
know  they  will.     The    effectual   fervent   prayer  of 


Call  to   China  and  Voyage  Hence.     5 1 

the  righteous  man  availeth  much  !  When  I  took 
leave  of  my  friends,  one,  and  another,  and  another, 
assured  me  that  they  would  remember  me  in  their 
prayers.     Yes,  and  I  will  remember  them." 

April  17th.  Speaking  of  Mr.  Collins,  he  says: 
"  I  think  we  shall  much  enjoy  ourselves.  We  shall 
study,  read,  sing,  and  pray  together,  talk  and  walk 
together.  From  present  appearances  we  shall  feel 
towards  each  other  as  David  and  Jonathan  did." 
Mr.  Collins  was  a  man  of  intense  missionary  con- 
victions, who  declared  if  there  were  no  means  to 
send  him  to  China  he  would  find  his  way  before 
the  mast,  and  work  his  way  there. 

"April  22.  We  have  now  been  one  week  on  our 
voyage.  We  commenced  our  studies  to-day,  Mr. 
Doty,  Collins,  and  myself  have  organized  ourselves 
into  a  Hebrew  class.  We  expect  to  have  a  daily 
recitation  in  Hebrew,  another  in  Greek,  and  an- 
other in  Chinese." 

"  May  8th.  Saturday  evening.  We  have  been 
out  23  days.  We  have  had  our  worship  as  usual 
in  the  cabin.  Since  then  we  have  spent  some  time 
in  singing  hymns.  Have  been  led  to  think  of 
home.  Wonder  where  and  how  my  many  friends 
are?  Are  they  happy?  Are  they  well?  Are 
they  all  alive  ?  Is  it  strange  that  sadness  some- 
times steals  over  my  mind,  when    I   think  of  those 


52      Call  to  China  and  Voyage  Hence. 

whom  I  love,  and  remember  their  weeping  eyes 
and  sorrowful  countenances  at  the  time  of  bidding 
them  farewell,  perhaps  never  again  to  see  them  in 
this  world." 

He  had  decided  to  take  a  text  of  Scripture  for 
daily  meditation,  following  the  order  in  a  little 
book  published  by  the  American  Tract  Society  en- 
titled "  Dew  Drops." 

"The  text  for  to-day  is  i  Pet.  ii.  21.  'Christ 
suffered  for  us,  leaving  us  an  example,  that  we 
should  follow  his  steps.' 

"  Why  should  the  Christian  tremble  at  the  pros- 
pect of  suffering,  or  be  impatient  under  its  exist- 
ence ?  '  The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  Lord.' 
The  '  King  of  Glory'  suffered,  and  shall  a  sinful 
man  complain?  Besides,  the  Christian  should  be 
willing  to  suffer  for  the  welfare  of  others.  If  he 
can  benefit  his  fellow-men  by  denying  himself, 
shall  he  hesitate?  If  he  can  save  the  souls  of  his 
fellow-men  by  running  the  risk  of  losing  his  own 
life,  shall  he  hesitate  to  run  that  risk  ?  " 

"  May  II.  Since  Sunday  noon  have  made  little 
progress." 

On  examining  the  record  of  the  voyage  which 
Mr.  Talmage  kept  faithfully  every  day,  we  find 
that  the  ship  had  made  only  twenty-seven  knots  in 
two  days. 


Call  to  China  and   Voyage  Hence.     53 

"  June  18,  For  the  last  month  we  have  not  made 
rapid  progress.  We  have  experienced  much  de- 
tention from  head-winds  and  calms.  About  a  week 
ago  we  were  put  on  an  allowance  of  water,  one 
gallon  a  day  to  each  one  on  board.  This  includes 
all  that  is  used  for  cooking,  drinking,  and  washing." 

"Have  had  quite  a  severe  storm, this  afternoon 
and  evening.  The  waves  have  been  very  high,  and 
the  wind — severe  almost  as  a  hurricane.  This  even- 
ing about  8  o'clock,  after  a  very  severe  blow 
and  heavy  dash  of  rain,  '  fire-balls,'  as  the  sailors 
termed  them,  were  seen  upon  the  tops  of  the 
masts,  and  also  on  the  ends  of  the  spars,  which 
cross  the  masts.  They  presented  a  very  beautiful 
appearance. 

"  Brother  Collins  and  myself  have  this  week  com- 
menced the  study  of  Pitman's  System  of  Phonog- 
raphy." That  Mr.  Talmage  became  proficient  in 
the  use  of  it  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  much  of 
his  journal  was  written  in  shorthand. 

"  On  the  Sabbath  Brother  Collins  and  myself 
spend  two  hours  in  the  forecastle  instructing  the 
sailors.  Many  of  them  seem  perfectly  willing, 
some  of  them  anxious  to  receive  instruction." 

"July  17.  Saturday  evening.  To-day  passed 
to  the  eastward  of  Christmas  Island  (an  island  in 
the  Indian  Ocean).     It  is  a  small  island  about  ten 


54      Call  to   CJiina  and   Voyage  Hence. 

miles  square.  This  is  the  first  land  seen  since  we 
left  Boston.  Of  course,  we  gazed  with  much  in- 
terest." 

**  July  22.  About  nine  o'clock  Tuesday  evening 
we  anchored  off  Angier.  This  is  a  village  off  the 
island  of  Java,  bordering  on  the  Straits  of  Sunda. 
Remained  at  Angier  until  Wednesday  afternoon. 
Capt.  Patterson  laid  in  a  good  supply  of  pigs, 
geese,  ducks,  chickens,  yams,  turtles,  water,  two 
goats,  and  fruits  of  various  kinds  in  abundance." 

"  Aug.  6.  Friday.  Wednesday  evening  ar- 
rived at  Macao.  This  morning  set  sail  for  Wham- 
poa,  twelve  miles  below  Canton." 

After  a  few  days  at  Canton  and  Hongkong,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Doty  and  Mr.  Talmage  embarked  for 
Amoy  on  the  schooner  Caroline. 

"  Aug.  21.  The  Caroline  is  a  small  vessel  of  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  burthen.  She  was 
built,  I  suppose,  for  the  opium  trade.  Our  passage 
from  Hongkong  was  not  very  pleasant.  Our 
quarters  were  close  and  our  captain  was  far  from 
being  an  agreeable  companion.  He  drank  freely 
and  was  very  profane." 

"  We  left  Brother  Collins  and  Brother  White  and 
wife  at  Hongkong.  We  had  been  so  long  in  com- 
pany with  these  brethren,  that  it  was  trying  to  part 
with  them.    On  Thursday,  the  day  before  yesterday, 


Call  lo   China  and   Voyage  Hence.     55 

wc  arrived  safely  at  Amoy.  The  brethren  gave  us  a 
very  hearty  welcome.  The  missionary  company  at 
this  place  consists  of  Brother  Pohlman,  of  the 
A.  B,  C.  F.  M. ;  Mr,  Alexander  Stronach  and  wife, 
of  the  London  Missionary  Society  ;  Brothers  Lloyd 
and  Brown,  of  the  Presbyterian  Board.  Mr.  John 
Stronach  also  belongs  to  this  station.  He  is  at 
present  at  Shanghai." 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  -ELEGANT  GATE." 


(57) 


III. 

THE  CITY  OF  THE  "ELEGANT  GATE."* 

In  a  letter  to  the  Sabbath-school  of  the  Central 
Reformed  Church,  Brooklyn,  Mr.  Talmage  thus  de- 
scribes the  southern  emporium  of  the  province  of 
Fukien : 

"Amoy  is  situated  on  an  island  of  the  same 
name.  The  city  proper  or  citadel  is  about  one  mile 
in  circumference.  Its  form  is  nearly  that  of  a 
rhomboid  or  diamond.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  wall 
about  twenty  feet  in  height,  and  eight  or  ten  feet 
in  thickness,  built  of  large  blocks  of  coarse  granite. 
It  has  four  gates.  The  outer  city,  or  city  outside 
of  the  walls,  is  much  more  extensive.  Its  circum- 
ference, I  suppose,  is  about  six  miles. 

"The  streets  are  not  so  wide  as  the  sidewalks  in 
Brooklyn.  Some  of  them  are  so  narrow  that,  when 
two  persons,  walking  in  opposite  directions,  meet 
each  other,  it  is  necessary  for  the  one  to  stop,  in 

*  The  meaning  of  the  two  Chinese  characters  composing 
the  name  Amoy. 

<59) 


6o       The   City  of  the  ''Elegant  Gate'' 

order  that  the  other  may  pass  on.  The  most  of 
the  streets  are  paved  with  coarse  granite  blocks, 
yet  on  account  of  the  narrowness  of  the  streets, 
and  the  want  of  cleanHness  by  the  great  mass  of 
the  inhabitants,  the  streets  are  usually  very  filthy. 
'^  "  This  part  of  Amoy  island  is  rugged  and  moun- 
tainous, and  interspersed  with  large  granite  rocks. 
Some  of  them  are  of  immense  size.  It  is  in  such  a 
place  that  the  city  has  been  built.  Many  of  these 
rocks  are  left  in  their  natural  position,  and  over- 
hang the  houses  which  have  been  built  among 
them.  The  ground  has  not  been  leveled  as  in 
Brooklyn,  consequently  the  greater  part  of  the 
streets  are  uneven.  Some  of  them  are  conducted 
over  the  hills  by  stone  steps.  Near  our  residences, 
one  of  the  public  streets  ascends  a  hill  by  a  flight 
of  thirty-six  steps.  On  account  of  this  unevenness 
of  the  streets  as  well  as  their  narrowness  a  carriage 
cannot  pass  through  the  city  of  Amoy.  Instead  of 
carriages  the  more  wealthy  inhabitants  use  sedan- 
chairs,  which  are  usually  borne  by  two  bearers. 
The  higher  officers  of  government,  called  '  Man- 
darins,' have  four  bearers  to  carry  them.  The 
greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  always  travel  on 
foot.  The  place  of  carts  is  supplied  by  men  called 
'  coolies,'  whose  employment  is  to  carry  burdens. 
The  houses,  except  along  the  wharves  and   a  few 


The   City  of  the  ''Elegant  Gate"     6i 

pawn-shops     farther     up,   in    the    city,    are    one 

story.  ,  

"  There  are  no  churches  here,  but  there  are  far 
more  temples  for  the  worship  of  false  gods,  and  the 
souls  of  deceased  ancestors,  than  there  are  churches 
in  Brooklyn. 

"  Besides  these,  almost  every  family  has  its  shrine 
and  idols  and  ancestral  tablets,  which  last  are  wor- 
shipped with  more  devotion  than  the  idols.  In  con- 
sequence of  their  religion  the  people  are  degraded 
and  immoral.  One-third  of  all  the  female  children 
born  in  the  city  of  Amo}'  are  slain.  In  the  vil- 
lages throughout  this  whole  region,  it  is  supposed 
that  about  one-half  are  destroyed.  They  do  not 
exhibit  sympathy  for  each  other  and  for  those  in 
distress,  which  is  enjoined  by  the  Bible,  and  which, 
notwithstanding  all  its  defects,  is  the  glory  of 
Christian  communities,  I  have  seen  a  man  dying  '1 
on  the  pavement  on  a  street,  almost  as  densely 
thronged  as  Broadway,  New  York,  and  no  one  of  ' 
the  passers-by,  or  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  part 
of  the  street,  seemed  to  notice  him  or  care  for  him 
more  than  if  he  had  been  a  dog." 

DESCRIPTION   OF   AMOY   AND   AMOY   ISLAND, 

Another  letter  to  the  same  congregation  a  few 
months  later  reads : 


62       The  City  of  the  " Elegant  Gate'' 

"The  first  impression  on  the  mind  of  an  indi- 
vidual in  approaching  the  shores  of  China  from  tiie 
south,  and  saiHng  along  the  coast,  as  far  north  as 
Amoy,  is  anything  but  favorable.  So  great  is  the 
contrast  between  the  lovely  scenery  and  dense  vege- 
tation of  many  of  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Archi- 
pelago,  and  the  barren  and  worn-out  hills  which 
line  the  southern  part  of  the  coast  of  China,  that 
in  the  whole  range  of  human  language  it  would 
seem  scarcely  possible  to  find  a  more  inappropriate 
term  than  the  term  '  Celestial'  whereby  to  desig- 
nate this  great  empire.  Neither  is  this  unfavorable 
opinion  removed  immediately  on  landing.  The 
style  of  building  is  so  inferior,  the  streets  are  so 
narrow  and  filthy,  the  countenances  of  the  great 
mass  of  the  people,  at  least  to  a  newcomer,  arc  so 
destitute  of  intelligent  expression,  and  the  bodies 
and  clothing,  and  habits  of  the  multitudes  are  so 
uncleanly,  that  one  is  compelled  to  exclaim  in  sur- 
prise, '  Are  these  the  people  who  stand  at  the  top 
of  pagan  civilization,  and  who  look  upon  all  men  as 
barbarous,  except  themselves?'  Besides,  every- 
thing looks  old.  Buildings,  temples,  even  the  rocks 
and  the  hills  have  a  peculiar  appearance  of  age  and 
seem  to  be  falling  into  decay.  I  am  happy  to  say, 
however,  that  as  we  become  better  acquainted  with 
the  country  and  the  people,  many  of  these  unfavor- 


The  City  oj  the  "'Elegant  GateT     63 

able  impressions  are  removed.  After  passing  a  lit- 
tle to  the  north  of  Amo}^  the  appearance  of  the 
coast  entirely  changes.  Even  in  this  mountainous 
region  we  have  valleys  and  plains,  which  would 
suffer  but  little  by  comparison  with  any  other 
country  for  beauty  and  fertility.  I  also  love  the 
scenery  around  the  city  of  Amoy  very  much.  The 
city  is  situated  on  the  western  side  of  an  island  of 
the  same  name.  This  part  of  the  island  in  its 
general  appearance  is  very  similar  to  the  coast  of 
which  I  have  spoken.  It  is  rocky  and  mountainous 
and  barren.  There  are,  however,  among  these  bar- 
ren hills  many  small  fertile  spots,  situated  in  the 
ravines  and  along  the  watercourses,  which  on 
account  of  their  high  state  of  cultivation  form  a 
lovely  contrast  with  the  surrounding  barrenness. 
Wherever  the  Chinese,  at  least  in  this  part  of  the 
Empire,  can  find  a  watercourse,  by  cultivation  they 
will  turn  the  most  barren  soil  into  a  garden.  The 
sides  of  the  ravines  are  leveled  by  digging  down, 
and  walling  up  if  necessary,  forming  terraces  or 
small  fields,  the  one  above  the  other.  These  small 
fields  are  surrounded  by  a  border  of  impervious 
clay.  The  water  is  conducted  into  the  higher  of 
these  terraces,  and  from  them  conducted  into  those 
which  are  lower,  as  the  state  of  the  crops  may  de- 
mand.    Often  a  field  of  paddy  may  be  seen  inun- 


64       The   City  of  the  ''Elegant   Gate''' 

dated,  while  the  next  field  below,  in  which  perhaps 
the  sweet  potato  is  growing,  is  kept  perfectly  dry. 
Among  the  hills  there  is  much  of  picturesque 
scenery,  and  some  that  is  truly  sublime.  The 
Buddhists  have  exhibited  an  exquisite  taste  for 
natural  scenery,  in  selecting  such  places  for  the 
situation  of  many  of  their  temples." 

ANCESTRAL  WORSHIP. 
"  Their  respect  for  ancestors  is  very  great,  so 
much  so  that  the  species  of  idolatry  which  has  by 
far  the  strongest  hold  upon  their  minds  is  ancestral 
worship.  This  is  the  stronghold  by  which  Satan 
maintains  his  supremacy  over  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  this  we  may  expect  will  be  the  last  to 
give  way  to  the  power  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
One  may  hold  up  their  gods  to  ridicule  and  they 
will  laugh  at  his  remarks,  but  they  do  not  love  to 
hear  the  worship  of  their  ancestors  spoken  against. 
This  worship,  after  the  period  of  mourning  is  over, 
consists  chiefly  in  offering  at  stated  times  various 
articles  of  food  to  the  spirits  of  the  deceased,  and 
in  burning  various  kinds  of  paper,  as  a  substitute 
for  money,  by  which  these  spirits  are  supplied  with 
that  most  convenient  article.  Natural  affection 
and  selfishness  unite  to  strengthen  their  attach- 
ment to  this  worship.     It  is  as  necessary  for  the 


The   City  of  the  ''  Elegajit   Gate.''     65 

happiness  of  the  souls  of  the  dead,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  Chinese,  as  is  the  saying  of  mass  in  the  opinion 
of  a  Roman  CathoHc.  Without  these  attentions 
the  souls  of  the  deceased  are  in  a  sort  of  purga- 
tory ;  wandering  about  in  want  and  wretchedness. 
But  if  the  desire  of  rendering  their  ancestors  happy 
be  not  sufficient  to  secure  attention  to  these  rites, 
a  still  more  powerful  motive  addresses  itself  to 
their  minds.  These  wandering  spirits  are  sup- 
posed capable  of  bringing  misfortune  and  inflicting 
injuries  on  their  ungrateful  and  impious  descend- 
ants. Thus  if  a  family  meet  with  reverses,  the 
cause  is  often  attributed  to  the  want  of  attention 
to  the  souls  of  the  deceased  ancestors,  or  to  the 
fact  that  the  sites  of  their  graves  have  not  been 
judiciously  selected,  and  the  dissatisfied  spirits  are 
taking  vengeance  for  these  neglects  or  mistakes. 
Another  consideration  which  seems  to  exert  much 
influence,  is  that  if  they  neglect  the  spirits  of  their 
ancestors,  their  descendants  may  neglect  them. 

"  For  the  present  life  they  can  think  of  no 
higher  happiness  than  success  in  acquiring  wealth, 
and  the  highest  happiness  after  death  consists  in 
having  sons  to  supply  the  wants  of  their  spirits. 
These  are  the  two  objects  that  engross  the  highest 
aspirations  of  a  Chinaman." 


66      The  City  of  the  '' Elegajit  Gate!' 


INFANTICIDE. 

"  This  will  account  in  part  for  the  barbarous 
custom  of  infanticide  which  prevails  to  so  lament- 
able an  extent  among  these  heathen.  Only  female 
infants  are  destroyed.  While  the  parents  are  living 
the  son  may  be  of  pecuniary  advantage  to  them, 
and  after  their  death,  he  can  attend  to  the  rites  of 
their  souls,  and  even  after  his  death,  through  him 
the  parents  may  have  descendants  to  perform  the 
ancestral  rites.  A  daughter  on  the  contrary,  it  is 
supposed,  will  only  prove  a  burden  in  a  pecuniary 
point  of  view,  and  after  she  is  married  she  is  reck- 
oned to  the  family  of  her  husband.  Her  children, 
also,  except  her  husband  otherwise  order,  are  only 
expected  to  attend  to  the  spirits  of  their  paternal 
ancestors." 

"  Some  have  denied  the  existence  of  the  practice 
of  infanticide  among  the  Chinese,  or,  they  have 
asserted  that  if  it  does  exist,  the  practice  of  it 
is  very  unusual.  Every  village  which  we  visit  in 
this  region  gives  evidence  that  such  persons  are 
not  acquainted  with  this  part  of  the  empire.  A 
few  days  ago  a  company  of  us  visited  the  village 
of  Kokia.  It  is  situated  on  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  Amoy  Island,  and  contains,  perhaps, 
two  thousand  inhabitants.      After  walking  through 


The  City  of  the  ''Elegant  Gate''      67 

the  village  we  sat  down  for  a  short  time  under 
the  shade  of  a  large  banyan  tree.  A  large  con- 
course of  people  soon  gathered  around  us  to  see 
the  foreigners  and  hear  what  they  had  to  say. 
In  this  crowd  w^  found  by  counting  nearly  a 
hundred  boys,  and  but  two  or  three  girls.  Also 
when  walking  through  the  village  very  few  girls 
were  to  be  seen.  The  custom  of  binding  the  feet 
of  the  girls,  which  greatly  affects  their  power  of 
locomotion,  would  account  for  more  boys  being 
seen  than  girls,  but  will  not  account  for  the  dis- 
parity noticed.  We  therefore  inquired  the  cause 
of  this  disparity.  They  answered  with  laughter 
that  female  children  are  killed.  The  same  ques- 
tion has  been  asked  again  and  again  at  the  various 
villages  we  have  visited  and  the  same  answer  ob- 
tained. This  answer  is  given  freely  and  apparently 
without  any  idea  that  the  practice  is  wicked, until  they 
are  so  taught  by  us.  The  result  of  this  one  practice 
on  the  morals  of  the  people  may  readily  be  imagined. 
It  accustoms  the  mind  to  acts  of  cruelty  and  it  pre- 
pares the  way  for  impurity  and  wickedness  in  forms 
that  are  never  dreamed  of  in  Christian  countries." 

In  this  connection  an  extract  from   Dr.    David 
Abeel's*  diary  may  be  of  value. 

*  David  Abeel  was  the  founder  of  the  American  Reformed 
Mission  at  Amoy  in  1842. 


68       The  City  of  the  ''Elegant  Gate.'* 

"To-day  had  a  conversation  with  one  of  the 
merchants  who  come  to  Kolongsu  for  trade,  on  the 
subject  of  female  infanticide.  Assuming  a  coun- 
tenance of  as  much  indifference  as  possible,  I  asked 
him  how  many  of  his  own  children  he  had  de- 
stroyed ;  he  instantly  replied,  '  Two.'  I  asked  him 
whether  he  had  spared  any.  He  said,  '  One  I  have 
saved.'  I  then  inquired  how  many  brothers  he 
had.  '  Eight,'  was  the  answer.  I  asked  him  how 
many  children  his  eldest  brother  had  destroyed. 
'  Five  or  six.'  I  inquired  of  the  second,  third  and 
all  the  rest ;  some  had  killed  four  or  five,  some 
two  or  three,  and  others  had  none  to  destroy.  I 
then  asked  how  many  girls  were  left  among  them 
all.  *  Three,'  was  the  answer.  And  how  many  do 
you  think  have  been  strangled  at  birth  ?  '  Probably 
from  twelve  to  seventeen.'  I  wished  to  know  the 
standing  and  employment  of  his  brothers.  One, 
he  said,  had  attained  a  literary  degree  at  the 
public  examinations;  the  second  was  a  teacher; 
one  was  a  sailor ;  and  the  rest  were  petty  mer- 
chants like  himself.  Thus,  it  was  evidently  not 
necessity  but  a  cold  inhuman  calculation  of  the 
gains  and  losses  of  keeping  them,  which  must  have 
led  these  men  to  take  the  lives  of  their  own  off- 
spring. 

"  Mr.  Boone's  teacher's  sister  with  her  own  hand 


The  City  of  the  "  Elegant  Gate'''      69 

destroyed  her  first  three  children  successively. 
The  fourth  was  also  a  girl,  but  the  mother  was 
afraid  to  lay  violent  hands  on  it,  believing  it  to  be 
one  of  the  previous  ones  reappearing  in  a  new 
body." 

"  The  names  of  the  five  districts  in  the  Chin- 
chew  prefecture  are  Tong-an,  An-khoe,  Chin-kiang, 
Hui-an  and  Lam-an.  Amoy  is  situated  in  the 
Chin-chew  prefect. 

"  From  a  comparison  with  many  other  parts  of 
the  country,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  a 
greater  number  of  children  are  destroyed  at  birth 
in  the  Tong-an  district  than  in  any  other  of  this 
department,  probably  more  than  in  any  other  part 
of  the  province  of  equal  extent  and  populousness. 
In  the  Tong-an  district  I  have  inquired  of  persons 
from  forty  different  towns  and  villages.  The 
number  destroyed  varies  exceedingly  in  different 
places,  the  extremes  extending  from  seventy  and 
eighty  per  cent,  to  ten  per  cent.  The  average 
proportion  destroyed  in  all  these  places  amounting 
to  nearly  four-tenths  or  exactly  thirty-nine  per 
cent. 

"  In  seventeen  of  these  forty  towns  and  villages, 
my  informants  declare  that  one-half  or  more  are 
deprived  of  existence  at  birth. 

"  From   the   inhabitants   of  six  places  in   Chin- 


70       TJie  City  of  the  "  Elega7it  Gate'' 

kiang,  and  of  four  places  in  Hui-an,  if  I  am  cor- 
rectly informed,  the  victims  of  infanticide  do  not 
exceed  sixteen  per  cent. 

"  In  the  seven  districts  of  the  Chiang-chiu  pre- 
fecture the  number  is  rather  more  than  one-fourth 
or  less  than  three-tenths. 

"  There  is  reason  to  fear  that  scarcely  less  than 
twenty-five  per  cent,  are  suffocated  almost  at  the 
first  breath." 

It  is  altogether  probable  that  this  vice  is  just  as 
prevalent  now.  The  scarcity  of  girls  in  nearly  all 
the  towns  and  villages  and  the  exorbitant  rates  de- 
manded for  marriageable  daughters  in  some  districts, 
only  render  sad  confirmation  to  what  Drs.  Abeel 
and  Talmage  wrote  two  score  and  more  years  ago. 

IS   CHINA   TO   BE   WON,   AND   HOW? 

Mr.  Talmage  continues : 

"  I  cannot  close  this  letter  without  saying  a  word 
in  reference  to  our  prospects  of  success.  The 
moral  condition  of  this  people,  their  spiritual 
apathy,  their  attachment  to  the  superstitious  rites 
of  their  ancestors,  together  with  the  natural  de- 
pravity of  the  human  heart,  and  at  the  same  time 
their  language  being  one  of  the  most  difficult,  per- 
haps the  most  difficult  of  acquisition  of  any  spoken 
language,  all  combine  to  forbid,  it  would  seem,  all 


1  he   City  of  the  ''Elegant  Gate.''     Ji 

hope  of  ever  Christianizing  this  empire.  But  that 
which  is  impossible  with  men  is  possible  with  God. 
He  who  has  commanded  us  to  preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature,  has  connected  with  it  a  promise 
that  He  will  be  always  with  us  to  the  end  of  the 
world.  The  stone  cut  out  without  hands,  we  are 
told  by  the  prophet,  became  a  great  mountain  and 
filled  the  whole  earth.  The  kingdom  which  the 
God  of  heaven  has  set  up  '  shall  break  in  pieces 
and  consume  all  these  kingdoms  and  it  shall  stand 
for  ever.'  Thus,  whatever  may  be  the  prospect 
before  us,  according  to  human  reasoning,  we  have  '  a 
more  sure  word  of  prophecy.'  Resting  upon  this 
we  can  have  no  doubt  in  reference  to  the  complete 
triumph  of  the  cause  of  Christ,  even  over  the  land 
of  Sinim.  In  connection  with  such  prophecies  and 
promises  we  have  many  facts  to  encourage  us. 
The  people  are  accessible  and  friendly,  and  willing 
to  listen  to  our  doctrines.  The  superiority  of 
Christianity  to  their  systems  of  religion,  sometimes 
from  conviction  and  sometimes  perhaps  only  from 
politeness,  they  often  admit. 

"  Already  a  few  converts  have  been  gathered 
into  the  visible  Church,  and  there  are  others  who 
arc  seeking  to  know  the  way  of  life  more  perfectly. 
Those  v/ho  have  been  received  into  the  Church  are 
letting  their  light  shine.    The  conduct  of  some  who 


72       The  City  of  the  ''Elegant  Gate.'' 

have  heard  the  truth,  reminds  us  forcibly  of  the 
conduct  of  the  woman  at  the  well  of  Samaria,  and 
of  the  conduct  of  Andrew  and  Philip  when  they 
first  found  the  Messias. 

"  It  is  thus  that  this  empire  and  most  other 
heathen  countries  must  be  evangelized.  The  work 
must  be  done  by  the  natives.  The  Church  in 
Christian  lands,  by  her  missionaries,  can  only  lay 
the  foundation  and  render  some  little  assistance  in 
rearing  the  superstructure.  She  can  never  carry 
forward  the  work  to  completion.  She  can  never 
furnish  the  heathen  nations  with  missionaries  of 
the  cross  in  sufficient  numbers  to  supply  them  with 
pastors,  neither  is  it  necessary  that  she  should. 
The  Christian  is  a  light  shining  in  a  dark  place. 
Especially  is  it  true  among  the  heathen,  that  every 
disciple  of  Christ  is  as  '  a  city  set  on  a  hill  which 
cannot  be  hid.'  His  neighbors  and  acquaintances 
must  observe  the  change  in  his  conduct.  He  no 
longer  worships  their  gods.  He  no  longer  ob- 
serves any  of  their  superstitious  rites.  He  is  no 
longer  a  slave  to  their  immoralities.  His  example 
must  tell.  But  many  of  the  converts  will  have 
gifts  to  make  known  the  Gospel,  and  will  eagerly 
embrace  these  gifts  in  order  to  rescue  their  dying 
countrymen.  Already  have  we  examples  of  this. 
Such  converts,  also,  in  some  respects,  may  be  more 


The  City  of  the  "  Elegant  Gate.''      jt, 

efficient  than  the  missionary.  They  can  go  where 
we  cannot,  and  reach  those  who  are  entirely  beyond 
our  influence.  They  are  better  acquainted  with 
the  language.  They  understand  the  customs  of 
the  people  more  thoroughly.  They  remember  what 
were  the  greatest  difficulties  and  objections  which 
proved  the  greatest  obstacles  to  their  reception  of 
the  Gospel,  and  they  know  how  these  difficulties 
were  removed  and  these  objections  answered.  Be- 
sides, they  have  all  the  advantages  which  a  native 
must  be  expected  to  possess  over  a  foreigner  aris- 
ing from  the  prejudices  of  the  people. 

"  Perhaps  it  may  be  necessary  to  guard  against  a 
wrong  inference,  which  might  be  hastily  deduced 
from  the  facts  just  stated.  The  fact  that  the  na- 
tives are  to  be  the  principal  laborers  in  evangeliz- 
ing this  empire,  does  not  in  the  least  remove  the 
obligation  of  the  Church  to  quicken  and  redouble 
all  her  efforts,  or  supersede  the  necessity  for  such 
efforts.  It  will  be  many  years  before  this  necessity 
will  cease  to  exist.  The  churches  in  Christian 
lands,  in  resolving  to  undertake  the  evangelization 
of  this  empire,  have  engaged  in  a  great  work.  In 
obedience  to  the  command  of  their  Master  they 
have  undertaken  to  rear  a  vast  superstructure,  the 
foundation  of  which  is  to  be  laid  entirely  by  them- 
selves, and  on  the  erection  of  which  they  must  be- 


74       TJie  City  of  the  ''Elegant  Gate.'' 

stow  their  care  and  assistance.  This  work  has  been 
commenced  under  favorable  auspices,  but  the  foun- 
dation cannot  yet  be  said  to  be  laid.  More  laborers 
must  be  sent  forth.  They  should  be  sent  out  in 
multitudes  if  they  can  be  found.  They  must  ac- 
quire the  language  so  that  they  can  communicate 
freely  with  the  people.  They  must  proclaim  the 
message  of  the  Gospel  from  house  to  house,  in  the 
highways  and  market-places,  wherever  they  can 
find  an  audience, — until  converts  are  multiplied. 
Schools  must  be  established,  and  the  doctrines 
of  the  Gospel  be  instilled  into  the  minds  of  the 
children  and  youth.  We  must  have  a  native  min- 
istry instructed  and  trained  up  from  their  child- 
hood according  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  be- 
fore they  will  be  capable  of  taking  the  sole  charge 
of  this  work.  Until  all  this  has  taken  place  the 
churches  may  not  slacken  any  of  their  efforts ;  nay, 
to  accomplish  this  there  must  be  an  increase  of 
effort  beyond  all  that  the  churches  have  ever  yet 
put  forth." 

During  the  year  1848  he  sent  a  letter  to  the  So- 
ciety of  Inquiry  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  New 
Brunswick,  New  Jersey. 

"  It  is  yet  a  '  day  of  small  things '  with  us.  Our 
work  thus  far  has  been  chiefly  of  a  preparatory 
nature.     This  will  probably  be  the  case  for  some 


The  City  of  the  ''Elegant  Gate''      75 

time  to  come.  There  have  been  just  enough  con- 
versions to  teach  us  that  God  is  with  us  and  will 
own  the  instrumentaHty  which  He  Himself  has  ap- 
pointed for  the  salvation  of  men,  and  to  encourage 
us  not  to  faint  in  our  work.  We  have  a  vast 
amount  of  prejudice  and  superstition  to  remove  — 
prejudice  and  superstition  which  has  been  growing 
and  consolidating  for  forty  centuries,  and  has  be- 
come an  essential  ingredient  in  the  character  of 
the  people  and  part  of  almost  every  emotion  and 
conception  of  their  minds.  At  present  both 
ofificials  and  people  are  very  friendly,  and  we  are 
permitted  to  preach  the  Gospel  without  hindrance. 
But  we  cannot  tell  how  long  this  state  of  things 
will  continue.  When  the  operation  of  the  leaven 
has  become  manifest,  we  must  expect  opposition. 
We  cannot  expect  that  the  great  adversary  of  God 
and  men  will  relinquish  this  the  strongest  hold  of 
his  empire  on  earth,  without  a  mighty  struggle. 
We  must  yet  contend  with  '  principalities  and 
powers  and  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places.' 

WORSHIP   OF   THE    EMPEROR. 

"  The  system  of  idolatry  is  as  closely  connected 
with  the  civil  government  of  China,  I  suppose,  as 
ever  it  was  with  ancient  Rome.  The  emperor  may 
be  called  the  great  High-priest  of  the  nation.     He 


76      TJic   Cify  of  the  "  Elegant  Gate.'' 

and  he  only  is  permitted  to  offer  sacrifice  and 
direct  worship  to  the  Supreme  Being.  The  descrip- 
tion which  Paul  has  given  of  the  '  man  of  sin,'  with 
but  little  variation  may  be  applied  to  him. 

"  '  He  exalts  himself  above  all  that  is  called  God 
or  that  is  worshipped,  so  that  he  as  God,  sitteth  in 
the  temple  of  God,  shewing  himself  that  he  is  God.' 
He  has  arrogated  to  himself  the  title  which  ex- 
presses the  highest  thought  of  divinity  known  to 
the  conceptions  of  the  Chinese  mind.  He  is 
superior  to  all  gods,  except  the  great  Supreme.  All 
others  he  appoints,  designates  their  business  and 
dethrones  them  at  his  pleasure.  In  the  city  of 
Amoy  is  a  temple  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  the 
emperor  and  containing  a  tablet  as  representative 
of  his  person.  On  certain  days  of  the  year  the 
ofificers  of  government  are  required  to  repair  to 
this  temple,  and  offer  that  religious  homage  which 
is  due  to  God  alone.  Now  to  remove  these  preju- 
dices and  superstitions  and  to  carry  to  the  final 
triumph  this  warfare,  which  we  must  wage  with 
those  in  '  high  places,'  will  not  be  the  work  of  a 
few  years.  We  might  well  despair  of  ever  possess- 
ing the  land,  where  such  '  sons  of  Anak '  dwell, 
were  it  not  that  the  ark  of  God  is  with  us  and  His 
command  has  been  given,  '  Go  up  and  possess  it.' 
But  we  look  to  you,  my  brethren,  for  assistance 


The   City  of  the  ''Elegant   Gate''      jy 

and  reinforcement  in  this  the  cause  of  our  common 
Lord,  not  only  to  fill  the  places  of  those  who  fall 
at  their  post  or  are  disabled  in  the  conflict,  but 
also  that  we  may  extend  our  lines  and  conduct  the 
siege  with  more  effect.  If  you  desire  a  field  where 
you  may  find  scope  and  employment  for  every 
variety  of  talent,  and  where  you  may  prove  your- 
selves faithful  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ,  I  know  of 
no  place  whence  can  come  to  you  a  more  urgent  call 
than  from  this  vast  empire." 


LIGHT  AND  SHADE. 


179) 


IV. 
LIGHT  AND  SHADE. 

THE    CHIANG-CHIU   VALLEY. 

Among  the  jottings  in  Mr.  Talmage's  diary  for 
1 847-1 848  we  find  mention  of  a  tour  to  Chiang- 
chiu  on  September  23,  1847,  i'"'  company  with 
Messrs.  Pohlman,  Doty  and  Lloyd. 

Chiang-chiu  is  a  large  city  of  200,000  inhabit- 
ants, situated  on  a  wide  river,  30  miles  west  of 
Amoy.  He  writes  :  "  Wherever  we  went  we  were 
accompanied  by  an  immense  throng  of  people. 
The  most  of  them  I  suppose  had  never  seen  a  white 
face.  But  few  Europeans  have  visited  the  city. 
The  city  has  an  extensive  wall,  wider  and  I  think 
more  cleanly  streets,  and  is  larger  than  Amoy.  In 
the  rear  of  the  city  there  are  three  watch  towers. 
They  are  situated  on  very  elevated  ground.  From 
these  we  had  a  very  delightful  view  of  the  city  and 
surrounding  country.  The  scenery,  it  seemed  to 
me,  was  the  most  beautiful  I  had  ever  witnessed. 
Within  the  circle  of  our  vision  lay  that  immense 

city   with    its    extensive   walls,    its    temples    and 

(81) 


82  Light  and  Shade. 

pagoda,  its  river,  bridges  and  boats,  its  gardens,  its 
trees  and  shrubbery,  and  its  densely-crowded 
streets.  Surrounding  the  city  was  spread  out  an 
extensive  valley  of  some  ten  or  fifteen  miles  in 
width  and  some  twenty  or  twenty-five  in  length, 
covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation.  Through  the 
midst  of  the  valley  might  be  marked  the  meander- 
ing track  of  the  Chiang-chiu  river,  the  whole  region 
beautifully  variegated  with  fruit  trees,  shade  trees, 
and  villages.  Still  further  on,  in  every  direction, 
our  view  was  bounded  by  lofty  hills  whose  cloud- 
capped  tops  seemed  as  pillars  on  which  the  heavens 
rested.  Nature  had  done  her  best  to  make  this 
region  a  terrestrial  paradise." 

On  a  subsequent  trip  to  Chiang-chiu,  Mr.  Tal- 
mage  writes  :  "  The  valley  of  the  Chiang-chiu  river 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  regions  I  ever  saw.  It 
is  densely  populated.  In  every  direction  are  vil- 
lages, I  might  almost  say  without  number,  ren- 
dered most  beautiful  by  their  plentiful  supply  of 
large  banyans  and  various  other  trees  of  luxuriant 
foliage.  The  intermediate  spaces  between  the  vil- 
lages are  fields  covered  with  vegetation  most  dense 
and  beautiful.  Through  the  centre  of  this  scene  may 
be  traced  the  course  of  the  river  vv^ith  its  numberless 
canals,  like  the  Nile  of  Egypt,  giving  fertility  wher- 
ever nature  or  the  art  of  man  conducts  its  waters." 


Light  and  Shade. 


BREAKING   AND   BURNING   OF   IDOLS.      • 

"  Feb.  27,  1848.  To-day  an  old  lady  and  her 
two  sons  declared  themselves  to  be  worshippers  of 
Jesus  by  presenting  their  idols  to  Bro.  Pohlman. 
On  the  evening  of  the  last  day  of  their  last  year 
they  had  burnt  their  ancestral  tablets.  It  was  an 
interesting  sight,  said  Bro.  Pohlman,  to  see  the  old 
lady,  supported  by  one  of  her  sons,  breaking  her 
idols  and  making  a  voluntary  and  public  surrender 
of  them  at  the  chapel. 

"March  ist.  When  the  eld  lady  returned  from 
the  chapel  on  Sunday  evening  she  was  full  of  zeal, 
and  began  preaching  to  her  neighbors  on  the  folly 
of  idolatry.  She  was  so  successful  that  another 
old  lady  living  in  the  same  house  with  her  has 
made  a  bonfire  and  burned  all  her  idols  except  one. 
This,  being  made  of  clay,  was  not  combustible. 
This  she  presented  to  Pohlman  to-day.  He  asked 
her  whether  she  gave  it  up  willingly.  She  said  she 
rejoiced  to  do  it.  She  said  she  had  not  yet  de- 
stroyed her  ancestral  tablets.  Pohlman  told  her 
he  did  not  wish  her  to  do  it  rashly.  She  must  re- 
flect on  the  subject,  and  when  she  became  con- 
vinced that  the  worship  of  them  was  a  sin  against 
God  she  must  give  them  up  immediately. 

"March  29th.     This  afternoon  Bro.  Ilickok  and 


84  Light  and  Shade. 

wife  and  Bro.  Maclay  arrived  at  Amoy  on  their  way 
to  Foochovv.  They  had  a  long  passage  from  Hong 
kong,  having  been  out  twenty-nine  days."  The  dis- 
tance from  Hongkong  to  Amoy  is  less  than  three 
hundred  miles,  and  is  made  in  twenty-four  hours 
by  an  ordinary  coast  steamer. 

THE   CHINESE   BOAT   RACE   AND   ITS   ORIGIN. 

"  June  5th.  Monday.  To-day  being  the  fifth 
day  of  the  fifth  month  (Chinese),  was  the  festival 
of  dragon  boat-racing.  Several  dragon  boats  filled 
with  rowers,  rather  paddlers,  were  contesting  this 
afternoon  in  the  harbor.  The  water  was  thronged 
with  boats  filled  with  Chinese  to  see  the  sport. 
Many  of  these  boats,  and  almost  all  the  junks  in 
the  neighborhood,  were  decked  with  green  branches, 
also  with  streamers  flying.  The  origin  of  this  fes- 
tival is  said  to  be  as  follows  :  In  very  ancient  times 
one  of  the  first  officers,  perhaps  Prime  Minister  of 
government,  gave  offence  to  the  emperor.  The 
emperor  banished  him.  He  was  so  downcast  on 
account  of  the  emperor's  displeasure  that  he  went 
and  drowned  himself.  The  emperor  afterwards  re- 
pented of  his  act,  and  on  inquiry  after  the  man 
learned  that  he  had  drowned  himself.  He  sent  out 
boats  in  every  direction  to  search  for  his  body,  and 
also  to  make  offerings  to  his  spirit.     His  body  was 


Light  and  Shade.  85 

not  found.  But  from  that  time  to  this  his  body 
is  thus  searched  for  every  year  and  his  spirit  thus 
appeased.  This  celebration  is  universal  through- 
out the  empire  and  wherever  there  are  colonies 
of  Chinese,  throughout  the  islands  of  the  (East  In- 
dian) Archipelago. 

"  The  same  good  feeling  continues  to  exist  at 
Amoy  as  formerly.  We  are  on  the  best  of  terms, 
so  far  as  we  can  judge,  with  all  classes,  the  officials 
and  people.  The  mandarins  receive  our  calls  and 
return  their  cards.  All  of  them  but  one  have  vis- 
ited us  at  our  houses.  Some  of  them  call  on  us 
quite  frequently.  This  places  us  on  a  high  vantage 
ground.  The  people  will  not  fear  to  listen  to  us, 
attend  our  meetings,  and  visit  us  at  our  houses,  as 
they  would  if  the  mandarins  kept  aloof  from  us. 
The  same  good  feeling  towards  foreigners  seems  to 
extend  far  into  the  interior.  At  least  we  go  from 
village  to  village  wherever  we  please  without  hin- 
drance, and  are  always  treated  with  kindness." 

THE   CHINESE   BEGGAR   SYSTEM. 

*'  I  have  to-day  been  making  some  inquiries  of 
my  teacher  concerning  the  system  by  which  the 
beggars  of  Amoy  are  governed.  The  truth  seems 
as  follows  :  There  are  very  many  beggars  in  the 
city.     In  each  ward  there  is  a  head-man  or  chief 


86  Liofit  and  Shade. 


called  '  Chief  of  the  Beggars.'  He  derives  his 
office  from  the  '  Hai-hong,'  or  the  superior  local 
magistrate.  Sometimes  the  office  is  conferred  as 
an  act  of  benevolence  on  an  individual,  who  from 
sickness  or  other  causes  has  met  with  reverses  of 
fortune.  Sometimes  it  is  purchased.  There  being 
eighteen  wards  in  the  city  of  Amoy,  of  course  there 
are  eighteen  such  head-men.  Their  office  is  not 
honorable,  but  there  is  considerable  profit  con- 
nected with  it.  The  head-men  hold  their  office  for 
life,  or  until  removed  for  bad  behavior.  They  get 
certificates  of  office  from  the  '  Hai-hong,'  and  on  the 
change  of  that  functionary  it  is  necessary  to  get  the 
stamp  of  his  successor  attached  to  their  certificates. 
Their  income  is  derived  from  various  sources. 
Monthly  they  call  on  the  merchants  and  shop- 
keepers, who  by  paying  dov/n  a  sufficient  amount 
are  freed  from  the  annoyance  of  beggars  during 
the  month.  If  a  beggar  enters  one  of  these  estab- 
lishments he  is  pointed  to  a  card  which  is  posted 
up  in  some  conspicuous  place,  and  is  a  certificate 
from  the  '  chief  of  the  beggars  '  of  that  ward  that  a 
sufficient  amount  of  beggar  money  has  been  paid 
down  for  the  month.  The  '  chiefs  of  the  beggars  ' 
also  receive  money  from  a  man  or  his  family  when 
he  is  about  to  marry,  also  from  the  family  of  the 
bride.     They  also  receive  money  after  the  death 


Light  and  Shade.  ^j 

and  burial  of  the  parents  or  any  old  member  of  a 
family;  also  from  men  who  are  advanced  to  literary 
honors,  or  who  receive  official  promotion.  In  any 
of  the  above  cases,  if  any  individual  fail  to  agree 
with  the  '  chief  of  the  beggars  '  of  his  ward  and  pay 
what  is  considered  a  sufficient  amount  of  money 
(the  amount  varies  with  the  importance  of  the  oc- 
casion and  the  wealth  of  the  parties),  he  may  expect 
a  visit  from  a  posse  of  beggars,  who  will  give  him 
much  annoyance  by  their  continual  demands.  The 
*  chiefs  of  the  beggars '  give  a  part  of  the  money 
which  they  receive  to  the  beggars  under  them. 
My  teacher  thinks  there  are  about  two  thousand 
beggars  in  the  city  of  Amoy.  There  is  a  small  dis- 
trict belonging  to  the  city  of  Amoy  called  *  The  Beg- 
gars' Camp.'  The  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  this 
place  are  beggars.  These  beggars  go  about  the 
city  seeking  a  living,  clothed  in  rags  and  covered 
with  filth  and  sores,  the  most  disgusting  and  pitia- 
ble objects  I  ever  saw.  " 

TWO   NOBLE    MEN   SUMMONED   HENCE. 

On  the  6th  of  December  Rev.  John  Lloyd,  of  the 
American  Presbyterian  mission,  died  of  typhus  fever 
after  an  illness  of  two  weeks.  Mr.  Talmage  makes 
this  record  of  him  : 

"Dec.  8,  1848.     Rev.  John   Lloyd  was  born  in 


88  Light  and  Shade. 

the  State  of  Pennsylvania  on  the  first  of  Oct.,  1813, 
which  made  him  thirty-five  years,  two  months,  and 
five  days  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  man 
of  fine  abihties.  His  m.ind  was  well  stored  with 
useful  knowledge  and  was  w^ell  disciplined.  He 
was  most  laborious  in  study,  very  careful  to  improve 
his  time.  He  was  mastering  the  language  with 
rapidity.  His  vocabulary  was  not  so  large  as  that 
of  some  of  the  other  brethren,  but  he  had  a  very 
large  number  of  words  and  phrases  at  his  command, 
and  was  pronounced  by  the  Chinese  to  speak  the 
language  more  accurately  than  any  other  foreigner 
in  the  place.  They  even  said  of  him  that  it  could 
not  be  inferred  simply  from  his  voice,  unless  his 
face  was  seen,  that  he  was  a  foreigner.  He  was  a 
man  of  warm  heart,  very  strong  in  his  friendship, 
very  kind  in  his  disposition,  and  a  universal  favor- 
ite among  the  Chinese.  I  never  knew  a  man  that 
improved  more  by  close  intimacy.  His  modesty, 
which  may  be  called  his  great  fault,  was  such  that 
it  was  necessary  to  become  well  acquainted  with 
him  before  he  could  be  properly  appreciated.  But 
it  has  pleased  the  Master  of  the  harvest  to  call  him 
from  the  field  just  as  he  became  fully  qualified  to 
be  an  efficient  laborer.  What  a  lesson  this,  that 
we  must  not  overestimate  our  importance  in  the 
work  to  which  God  has  called  us.     He  can  do  with- 


Light  and  Shade.  89 

out  us.  It  seems  necessary  that  He  should  give 
the  Church  lesson  upon  lesson  that  she  may  not 
forget  her  dependence  upon  Him." 

Early  in  1849  the  brethren  were  called  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  one  of  the  most  devoted  pioneers  of  the 
Amoy  mission,  the  Rev.  William  J.  Pohlman. 

Mr.  Talmage  writes :  "  Feb.  8th.  On  Monday 
night  at  twelve  o'clock  I  was  called  up  to  receive 
the  sad  intelligence  that  our  worst  fears  in  refer- 
ence to  Pohlman  were  confirmed.  He  perished  on 
the  morning  of  the  5th  or  6th  ult.  He  embarked 
on  the  2d  ult.  from  Hongkong  in  the  schooner 
Omega.  On  the  morning  of  probably  the  5th,  at 
about  two  o'clock,  she  struck  near  Breaker  Point, 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  Hongkong. 
A  strong  wind  was  blowing  at  the  time,  so  that 
every  effort  to  get  the  ship  off  was  unavailing. 
She  was  driven  farther  on  the  sand,  and  fell  over 
on  her  side.  Her  long  boat  and  one  quarter  boat 
were  carried  away,  and  her  cabin  filled  with  water. 
The  men  on  board  clung  to  the  vessel  until  morn- 
ing. The  remaining  boat  was  then  lowered.  Those 
of  the  crew  who  were  able  to  swim  were  directed 
to  swim  to  the  shore.  The  captain,  first  and  second 
ofificers,  and  Pohlman  entered  the  boat  and  those  of 
the  crew  who  could  not  swim  also  received  per- 
mission to  enter.    But  a  general  rush  was  made  for 


90  Light  and  Shade. 

the  boat,  by  which  it  was  overturned,  and  those 
who  could  not  swim,  Pohhnan  among  the  number, 
perished.  The  captain  attempted  to  reach  the 
shore  by  swimming,  and  would  have  succeeded,  but 
was  met  by  the  natives.  They  were  eager  for  plun- 
der, and  seized  the  captain  to  plunder  him  of  his 
clothes.  While  they  were  stripping  him  of  his 
clothes  they  dragged  him  through  the  water  with 
his  head  under,  by  which  he  was  drowned.  About 
twenty-five  of  the  crew  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
shore  in  safety.  After  being  stripped  of  their 
clothes,  they  were  permitted  to  escape.  Afterwards, 
on  arriving  at  a  village  they  were  furnished  with 
some  rags.  After  suffering  much  from  fatigue  and 
hunger  they  arrived  at  Canton,  overland,  on  the 
17th  ult.  This  event  has  cast  gloom  again  over 
our  small  circle.  But  one  month  previous  to  his 
death,  Pohlman  with  myself  had  closed  the  eyes 
of  dear  Lloyd.  Oh,  how  deeply  we  do  feel,  and 
shall  for  a  long  time  feel  this  loss." 

"Feb.  iith.  On  Sunday  afternoon  our  new 
church  was  consecrated  to  the  worship  of  the  only 
true  God,  the  first  building  built  for  this  purpose  in 
Amoy.  Mr.  Young  preached  the  sermon.  It  was 
also  a  funeral  serm.on  for  Mr.  Pohlman.  The  house 
was  crowded  with  people.  Very  many  could  not 
eet  into  the  building.     There  was  some  noise  and 


Ln 

11 

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C^ 

r 

o 

CO 

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w 

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(■} 

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a 

o 

z 

Light  and  Shade.  91 

confusion.  I  think  the  majority,  however,  were 
desirous  to  hear." 

In  a  letter  to  Drs.  Anderson*  and  De  Witt, 
speaking  of  Pohhnan's  death,  he  says : 

"  Our  hearts  bleed.  God  has  seen  fit  to  send  upon 
us  stroke  after  stroke.  Oh,  when  will  He  stay  His 
hand?  But  we  will  not  murmur.  It  is  God  who 
hath  done  this.  His  ways  are  inscrutable.  We 
gaze  upon  them  in  mute  astonishment.  We  may 
quote  as  peculiarly  applicable  to  our  present  cir- 
cumstances the  remarks  which  this  brother  made 
at  the  grave  of  him  who  was  called  away  a  month 
previous.  '  Death,'  said  he,  '  is  always  a  sad  event, 
and  is  often  peculiarly  distressing.  It  is  so  in  the 
instance  before  us.  There  is  a  sad  breach  in  our 
little  circle  at  this  station.  Situated  as  we  are  here, 
every  member  of  our  small  society  tells  upon  the 
happiness  of  the  whole.  Our  number  is  limited 
and  less  than  a  score.  We  have  few  bosom  friends, 
few  to  cheer  and  encourage  us,  few  to  whom  to  tell 
our  sorrows  and  our  joys.  Here  we  are  far  away 
from  those  we  love,  away  from  dear  friends  and 
kindred  and  those  tender  associations  which  make 
society  so  delightful  at  home.  Hence  we  feel 
deeply  any  breach   made   in   our   little   circle.     In 

*  Dr.  Anderson  was  one  of  the  early  Secretaries  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 


92  Light  and  Shade. 

proportion  as  our  number  is  diminished  in  the  same 
proportion  is  there  a  decrease  in  the  endearments 
of  friendship  and  love.  More  especially  is  this  the 
case  when  the  departed  was  possessed  of  social 
virtues  and  qualified  to  make  all  around  him  agree- 
able and  happy.  We  mourn  also  for  these  poor 
deluded  heathen.  They  have  sustained  an  incal- 
culable loss.  I  feel  it  impossible  to  give  an  ade- 
quate description  of  his  character.  He  felt  that  in 
laboring  for  the  heathen  he  was  engaged  in  a  work 
of  the  highest  moment.  Thereto  he  bent  every 
energy  of  mind  and  body.  That  which,  by  receiv- 
ing the  word  of  God,  we  are  made  theoretically  to 
acknowledge,  by  the  dispensations  of  His  Provi- 
dence— we  are  made  practically  to  feel,  that  man 
is  nothing — that  God  is  All  in  All.' 

"  God's  dealings  with  this  mission  would  seem  to 
be  enough  to  arouse  our  Church.  Heretofore  He 
has  given  success  to  His  servants.  He  has  given  us 
favor  with  the  authorities  and  with  the  people. 
The  Church  has  seemed  to  be  satisfied  with  this. 
She  has  thanked  God  for  His  smiles,  but  has  made 
little  effort  to  increase  the  number  of  her  laborers 
as  fast  as  the  demand  for  them  increased.  Now 
God  is  trying  another  plan.  Her  laborers  are  dying 
off  and  the  question  comes  to  her,  not  merely 
whether    she    will  advance    or   not,    but,    whether 


Light  and  Shade.  93 

she  will  retain  that  which  she  has  already  gained. 
She  has  volunteered  in  a  glorious  warfare.  Will 
she  hold  the  positions  she  has  won,  and  make  fur- 
ther conquests,  or  will  she  permit  her  soldiers  to  die 
at  their  posts  without  being  replaced,  and  thus  retire 
from  the  field?  Important  interests  are  at  stake. 
The  honor  of  our  Church  is  at  stake.  The  salvation 
of  souls  is  at  stake.  It  is  a  crisis  with  our  mission. 
We  cannot  endure  the  thought  that  the  labors  of 
those  faithful  servants  who  have  been  called  home 
shall  be  in  a  great  measure  lost  by  neglect.  We 
have  received  lately  impressive  lessons  of  the  un- 
certainty of  human  life.  The  thought  steals  over 
us  that  we,  too,  are  liable  at  any  moment  to  be  cut 
down  in  the  midst  of  our  labors.  This  liability  is 
increased  by  the  amount  of  labor  which  necessarily 
devolves  upon  us.  Now  we  are  only  two  in  number. 
As  for  myself  I  am  only  beginning  to  stammer  in 
this  difficult  language.  This,  too,  in  a  field  where 
there  is  labor  enough  to  be  done  to  employ  all  the 
men  you  can  send  us.  You  will  not  think  it  strange 
then  that  we  plead  earnestly. 

"Our  new  church  edifice  was  completed  soon 
after  Brother  Pohlman  left  for  Hongkong.  As  he 
had  done  so  much  of  the  work  in  gathering  the 
congregation  and  had  originated  the  idea  of  the 
building  and  had  watched  its  erection  with  so  much 


94  Light  and  Shade. 

interest,  we  were  desirous  that  he  should  be  present 
at  its  consecration.  We  therefore  delayed  openin^^ 
the  building  for  worship  until  we  received  the 
definite  news  of  his  death." 

In  an  address  on  "  Reminiscences  of  Missionaries 
and  Mission  Work,"  delivered  by  Dr.  Talmage  dur- 
ing his  later  years,  he  refers  to  the  early  mission- 
aries at  Amoy  in  these  words : 

"The  men  God  gave  the  Church  were  just  the 
men  needed  to  awaken  her  missionary  spirit  and 
shape  her  mission  work.  So  for  laying  the 
foundation  and  shaping  the  plan  of  the  structure 
He  would  have  us  erect  at  Amoy  He  gave  us  three 
men,  just  the  men  needed  for  the  work, — David 
Abeel,  William  J.  Pohlman  and  Elihu  Doty.  The 
more  I  meditate  on  what  they  said  and  wrote  and 
did  and  suffered  in  the  early  days  of  that  work,  and 
see  whereunto  it  is  growing,  the  more  am  I  im- 
pressed with  the  fact  that  they  were  wonderful 
men,  just  the  men  for  the  time,  place,  and  circum- 
stances, and  therefore  evidently  God's  gift. 

"  Dr.  Abeel  was  the  pioneer  of  the  Amoy  Mission. 
During  the  greater  part  of  the  years  of  his  man- 
hood, he  struggled  with  disease,  and  his  whole  life 
on  earth  was  comparatively  short,  yet  the  Lord 
enabled  him  to  accomplish  more  work  than  most 
men  accomplish  during  a  much  longer  life.     His 


Light  and  Shade.  95 

last  field  of  labor  was  Amoy,  entering  it  in  January, 
1842,  when  the  port  had  just  been  thrown  open  and 
while  the  British  army  was  still  there,  and  leaving 
it  in  January,  1845.  In  that  short  time,  notwith- 
standing interruptions  from  sickness  and  of  voy- 
ages in  search  of  health,  or  rather  to  stave  off 
death  till  others  were  ready  to  take  his  place,  he 
laid  a  good  foundation,  doing  a  work  that  told  and 
was  lasting.  I  met  him  only  once.  It  was  at  his 
father's  house  in  New  Brunswick,  after  his  work  at 
Amoy— after  all  his  public  work  was  done  and  he 
was  only  waiting  to  be  summoned  home.  When  I 
afterwards  went  to  Amoy,  I  found  his  name  very 
fragrant,  not  only  among  Europeans  and  Ameri- 
cans, but  also  among  the  Chinese.  He  had  baptized 
none,  but  a  goodly  number  of  those  afterwards 
baptized  had  received  their  first  impressions  con- 
cerning Christianity  and  their  first  instructions 
therein  from  him." 

"  Messrs.  Doty  and  Pohlman  with  their  families 
came  from  Borneo  to  Amoy,  arriving  in  June, 
1844,  'ibout  six  months  before  Dr.  Abeel  was  com- 
pelled to  leave.  We  have  heard  of  places  so  healthy, 
that  it  is  said  there  was  difficulty  to  find  material 
wherewith  to  start  cemeteries.  Amoy,  rather  Kol- 
ongsu,  where  all  the  Europeans  then  resided,  in 
those  days  was  not  such  a  place.     It  is  said  that 


96  Light  and  Shade. 

of  all  the  foreign  residents  only  one  escaped  the 
prevailing  fever.  The  mortality  was  very  great. 
In  a  year  and  a  half  from  the  time  of  their  arrival 
at  Amoy,  Mr.  Doty  was  on  his  way  to  the  United 
States  with  two  of  his  own  and  two  of  Mr.  Pohl- 
man's  little  ones.  The  other  members  of  their 
families — the  mothers  and  the  children,  all  that 
was  mortal  of  them — were  lying  in  the  Mission 
cemetery  on  Kolongsu  ;  and  to  '  hold  the  fort,'  so 
far  as  our  Mission  was  concerned,  Pohlman  was 
left  alone,  and  ivcll  he  held  it.  He  had  a  new 
dialect  to  acquire,  yet  when  health  allowed,  he 
daily  visited  his  little  mission  chapel,  and  twice  on 
the  Sabbath,  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  He 
was  a  man  of  work,  of  great  activity.  When  I 
arrived  at  Amoy  in  1847,  he  was  suffering  from 
ophthalmia.  Much  of  his  reading  and  writing  had 
to  be  done  for  him  by  others.  I  was  accustomed 
to  read  to  him  an  hour  in  the  morning  from  six  to 
seven.  Another  read  to  him  an  hour  at  noon  from 
twelve  to  one.  He  was  still  subject  to  occasional 
attacks  of  the  old  malarial  fever.  Besides  all  this 
he  was  now  alone  in  the  world,  his  whole  family 
gone,  two  of  his  little  ones  in  his  native  land,  then 
very  much  farther  away  from  China  than  now,  and 
the  others,  mother  and  children,  sleeping  their  last 
sleep. 


Light  and  Shade.  97 

"  Yet  he  was  the  Hfc  of  our  little  mission  com- 
pany. Do  you  ask  why  ?  He  lived  very  close  to 
God,  and  therefore  was  enabled  to  bow  to  the 
Divine  will,  to  use  his  own  language,  '  with  sweet 
submission.'  Pohlman's  term  of  service,  too,  was 
short.  He  was  called  away  in  his  thirty-seventh 
year.  His  work  at  Amoy  was  less  than  five  years. 
It,  too,  much  of  it,  was  foundation  work,  though  he 
was  permitted  to  see  the  walls  just  beginning  to 
rise.  Two  of  the  first  converts  were  baptized  by 
him,  and  many  others  received  from  him  their 
early  Christian  instruction.  The  first,  and  still  by 
far  the  best  church-building  at  Amoy,  which  is  also 
the  first  church-building  erected  in  China  expressly 
for  Chinese  Protestant  Christian  worship,  may  be 
called  his  monument.  It  was  specially  in  answer 
to  his  appeal  that  the  money,  $3,000,  was  contrib- 
uted. It  was  under  his  supervision  that  the  build- 
ing was  erected.  To  it  he  gave  very  much  toil 
and  care.  The  house  was  nearly  ready  when  he 
took  his  last  voyage  to  Hongkong,  and  he  was 
hastening  back  to  dedicate  it  when  God  took  him. 
His  real  monument,  however,  is  more  precious  and 
lasting  than  church-buildings,  as  precious  and  last- 
ing as  the  souls  he  was  instrumental  in  saving,  and 
the  spiritual  temple  whose  foundation  he  helped  to 
lay.    There  were  many  who  remembered  him  with 


98  Light  and  Shade. 

very  warm  affection  long  after  he  was  gone. 
Among  them  I  remember  one,  an  old  junk  captain, 
who  in  his  later  years,  speaking  of  heaven,  was  wont 
to  say,  '  I  shall  see  Teacher  Pohlman  there;  I  shall 
see  Teacher  Pohlman  there.'  " 


AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  BAMBOOS. 


(99) 


V. 

AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  BAMBOOS. 

The  sad  and  sudden  departure  of  Mr.  Pohlman 
so  affected  a  maiden  sister,  Miss  Pohlman,  then  at 
Amoy,  as  to  unsettle  her  mind  and  necessitate  an 
immediate  return  to  the  United  States.  No  lady 
friend  could  accompany  her.  It  was  decided  that 
Mr.  Talmage  take  passage  on  the  same  ship  and 
act  as  guardian  and  render  what  assistance  he  could. 
The  ship  r.rrived  at  New  York  August  23,  1849. 

Mr.  Talmage  made  an  extensive  tour  on  behalf 
of  Missions  in  China  among  the  Reformed  churches 
in  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania. 

"Jan.  15,1850.  Was  married  at  twelve  M.  in  First 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  by 
Dr.  N.  Murray,  to  Miss  Abby  F.  Woodruff. 
Started  immediately  with  my  wife  on  a  trip  to 
Seneca  County,  New  York." 

"March  16,  1850.  In  the  forenoon  accompanied 
by  many  dear  friends  we  embarked  on  board  the 
ship  Tartar  from  New  V^ork  bound  for  China." 

"  July  i6th.     Arrived  safely  at  Amoy,  for  which 

(lOl) 


I02        At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos. 

our  hearts  are  full  of  gratitude  to  Him  who  has 
watched  over  us  on  the  deep  and  conducted  us 
safely  through  every  danger." 

Though  the  entire  Reformed  Mission  at  Amoy 
then  consisted  of  only  three  members,  Mr.  Doty 
and  Mr,  and  Mrs.  Talmage,  still  they  believed  in 
colonizing.  Mr.  Talmage  secured  a  Chinese  house 
and  shop  a  mile  or  more  away  from  the  original 
headquarters  and  this  became  the  missionary's 
home  and  preaching  place.  It  was  on  the  north 
side  of  the  city  in  a  densely-populated  neighbor- 
hood known  as  "  Tek-chhiu-Kha,"  or  "  At  the  Foot 
of  the  Bamboos." 

It  fronted  one  of  the  main  thoroughfares  of  the 
city.  It  was  near  the  water's  edge  at  the  mooring- 
place  of  junks  from  the  many-peopled  districts 
of  Tong-an  and  Lam-an.  The  house  and  shop 
were  renovated  and  capped  with  another  story. 
Here  Mr.  Talmage  prayed  and  studied  and 
preached  and  planned  for  nearly  twenty  years.  On 
this  spot  to-day  stands  a  flourishing  Chinese 
church. 

In  a  letter  to  Drs.  Anderson  and  De  Witt,  dated 
Dec.  17,  1850,  Mr.  Talmage  thus  describes  their 
new  home : 

"  Our  house  is  pleasantly  situated,  having  a  good 
view  of  the  inner  part  of  the  harbor,  and  of  several 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.        103 

small  islands  in  the  harbor.  We  also  have  a  pleas- 
ant view  of  the  mainland  beyond  the  harbor.  From 
our  house  we  can  count  a  number  of  villages  on  the 
mainland,  beautifully  situated  among  large  ban- 
yans. We  hope  the  situation  will  prove  a  healthy 
one.  I  like  the  situation  most  of  all  because  I 
think  it  well  adapted  to  our  work.  We  are  near 
the  northern  extreme  of  the  city  along  the  water's 
edge,  while  the  other  missionaries  are  near  the 
southern  extreme.  Thus  on  entering  the  harbor 
from  Quemoy  and  other  islands,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  harbor  or  from  the  cities  and  villages  on  the 
seacoast,  the  first  foreign  residence  at  Amoy,  which 
meets  the  eye,  is  the  residence  of  missionaries.  On 
coming  to  Amoy  from  the  cities  and  villages  which 
are  inland,  again  the  first  foreign  residence  which 
meets  the  eye  is  the  residence  of  missionaries.  We 
are  in  a  part  of  the  city  where  the  Gospel  has  not 
yet  been  preached." 

In  the  same  letter  he  refers  to  the  OpiuDi  habit — 
and  to  the  initiatory  steps  toward  the  formation 
of  a  Romanized  alpJiabst  for  the  Amoy  Vernacular. 
The  Chinese  character  is  learned  with  great  dififi- 
culty.  It  requires  years  of  close  application.  In 
Southern  Fukien  not  more  than  one  man  in  a 
hundred  can  read  intelligently.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  one  woman  in  ten  thousand  can. 


I04        At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos, 

Protestant  Christianity  wants  men  to  be  able  to 
give  a  reason  for  the  hope  that  is  in  them.  It 
urges  our  Lord's  command,  "  Search  the  Scrip- 
tures." It  demands  not  only  the  hearing  ear,  but 
the  reading  eye. 

Hence  this  early  effort  on  the  part  of  the  mis- 
sionaries to  prepare  a  version  of  the  Scriptures  and 
a  Christian  literature  in  a  form  more  readily  learned 
by  the  people.  Those  early  efforts  were  doubtful 
experiments  even  to  some  of  the  missionaries. 
The  Chinese  converts  at  first  looked  quite  askance 
at  what  appeared  to  them  an  effort  to  supersede 
their  highly  venerated  Chinese  character. 

The  Romanized  system  was  gradually  perfected. 
The  Chinese  were  gradually  disabused  of  their 
prejudices.  To-day  the  most  ardent  advocates  of 
the  system  are  Chinese  pastors  and  elders.  The 
whole  Bible  has  been  translated  into  Amoy 
Romanized  colloquial.  An  extensive  literature 
adapted  to  Christian  homes  and  Christian  schools 
has  grown  up  through  the  years  and  is  contribut- 
ing to  the  strength  and  progress  of  the  Chinese 
Church  to-day. 

OPIUM. 

"  Independent  of  the  reproach  which  the  opium 
traffic  casts  on  the  Christian  religion,  we  find  it  a 
great  barrier  in  the  way  of  evangelizing  this  people. 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.         105 


We  cannot  put  confidence  in  an  opium  smoker.  A 
man  who  smokes  it  in  even  the  smallest  degree 
we  should  not  dare  to  admit  into  the  Christian 
church.  More  than  one-half  of  the  men  at  Amoy 
are  more  or  less  addicted  to  the  habit.  Of  this  half  of 
the  population  the  missionary  can  have  compara- 
tively but  little  hope.  We  know  the  grace  of  God 
can  deliver  from  every  vice  and  there  have  been  ex- 
amples of  reformation  even  from  this.  Yet  from 
experience  when  talking  to  an  opium  smoker  we 
always  feel  discouraged.  Although  this  be  a  dis- 
couraging feature  in  our  operations  here,  it  should 
only  be  a  stimulus  to  the  Church  to  send  more 
laborers  and  put  forth  greater  efforts  to  stem  the 
tide  of  destruction  which  the  Christian  world  is 
pouring  in  upon  the  heathen.  Independent  of  the 
principles  of  benevolence,  justice  demands  of 
Christendom  that  the  evil  be  stayed,  and  reparation 
if  possible  be  made  for  the  injury  already  done.  If 
nothing  more,  let  there  be  an  equivalent  for  what 
has  been  received  from  China.  It  is  a  startling 
fact,  that  the  money  which  Christian  nations  have 
received  from  China  for  this  one  article,  an  article 
which  has  done  to  the  Chinese  nothing  but  in- 
calculable injury,  far,  far  exceeds  all  the  money 
which  has  been  expended  by  all  Protestant 
churches  on  all  Protestant  missions  in  all  parts  of 


io6        At  the  Foot  of  the  Bmnboos. 

the  heathen  world  since  the  days  of  the  Refor- 
mation. 

ROMANIZED  COLLOQUIAL. 
"  The  question  whether  there  is  any  way  by 
which  this  people  can  be  made  a  reading  people, 
especially  by  which  the  Christians  may  be  put  in 
possession  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  be  able  to  read 
it  intelligently  for  themselves,  has  occupied  much 
thought  of  the  missionaries  here.  At  present  most 
of  the  church  members  have  no  reading  for  the 
Sabbath  and  for  private  meditation.  They  may 
have  family  worship,  but  they  cannot  at  their  wor- 
ship read  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Some  of  us  are 
now  trying  an  experiment  whether  by  means  of 
the  Roman  alphabet  the  Sacred  Scriptures  and 
other  religious  books  may  not  be  given  to  the 
Christians  and  to  any  others  who  cannot  read,  but 
who  take  enough  of  an  interest  in  Christianity  to  de- 
sire to  read  the  Scriptures  for  themselves.  By  the 
use  of  seventeen  of  these  letters  we  can  express 
every  consonant  and  vowel  sound  in  the  Amoy 
dialect,  and  by  the  use  of  a  few  additional  marks 
we  can  designate  all  the  tones.  Dr.  James  Young, 
an  English  Presbyterian  missionary  physician,  has 
commenced  teaching  the  colloquial,  as  written  with 
the  Roman  alphabet,  in  his  school,  a  school  formerly 
under  the  care  of  Mr.  Doty.     From  his  present  ex- 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.         107 

perience  he  is  of  opinion  that  boys  who  are  at  all 
apt  in  acquiring  instruction,  in  less  than  three 
months  may  be  prepared  for  reading  the  Scriptures, 
with  understanding.  I  have  a  class  of  three  or 
four  adults  an  hour  an  evening  four  evenings  in  the 
week,  receiving  instruction  in  the  colloquial. 
They  have  taken  some  half  dozen  lessons  and  are 
making  good  progress.  At  present  we  have  no 
printed  primers  or  spelling-books,  and  are  com- 
pelled to  teach  principally  by  blackboard.  We  are 
of  opinion  that  almost  every  member  of  the  church 
can  soon  learn  to  read  by  this  system.  Arrange- 
ments have  been  made  to  print  part  of  the  history 
of  Joseph  in  colloquial.  These  are  but  experi- 
ments. If  they  succeed  according  to  our  present 
hope,  it  may  be  worth  while  to  have  the  whole 
Bible  and  other  religious  books  printed  in  this 
manner.  A  little  more  experience  will  enable  us 
to  speak  with  more  confidence  for  or  against  the 
plan." 

"  Dec.  23.  Yesterday  morning  my  chapel  was 
opened,  according  to  appointment,  I  preached  to 
the  people  my  first  regular  sermon  from  the  text, 
*  There  is  one  God  and  one  Mediator,'  etc.  The 
room  was  crowded.  It  will  seat  about  one  hundred 
comfortably." 


io8        At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos, 


CHINESE   SENSE   OF  SIN. 

March  17,  1851.     To  his  brother,  Goyn. 

"  I  think  the  Chinese  are  very  different  in  their 
rehgious  feehngs  from  many  other  (perhaps  from 
the  most  of  other)  heathen  people.  We  have  often 
heard  of  the  great  sacrifices  which  the  heathen  of 
India  will  make  and  the  great  sufferiiigs  they  will 
impose  on  themselves  in  order  to  make  atonement 
for  their  sins  and  appease  the  anger  of  the  gods. 
There  may  occasionally  be  something  of  the  kind 
among  the  Buddhists  of  China.  But  I  rather  sup- 
pose that  where  there  are  any  self-mortifications 
imposed  (which  is  very  rare  in  this  part  of  China), 
they  are  imposed  to  secure  merit,  not  to  atone  for 
sin.  I  do  not  remember  ever  to  have  met  with  an 
individual  among  the  Chinese  who  had  any  sense 
of  sinfulness  of  heart,  or  even  any  remorse  for  sin- 
fulness of  conduct  except  he  was  first  taught  it  by 
the  Gospel.  It  is  one  of  the  most  difificult  truths 
to  convey  to  their  minds  that  they  are  sinners 
against  God.  We  have  had  a  few  inquirers  who 
have  expressed  a  deep  sense  of  sinfulness.  But 
this  sense  of  sinfulness  has  come  from  hearing  the 
Gospel.  The  way  the  most  of  those,  whom  we 
doubt  not  are  true  Christians,  have  been  led  on 
seems  to  be  as  follows:     They  hear  the  Gospel, 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.         109 

presently  they  become  convinced  of  its  truth. 
Their  first  impulses  then  seem  to  be  those  of  joy 
and  gratitude.  They  are  like  men  who  were  born 
blind,  and  had  never  mourned  over  their  blindness, 
because  they  had  no  notion  of  the  blessing  of 
sight.  Presently  their  eyes  begin  to  be  opened 
and  they  begin  to  see.  They  only  think  of  the  new 
blessings  which  they  are  receiving,  not  of  the 
imperfections  which  still  remain  in  their  vision.  A 
sense  of  these  comes  afterwards.  Was  not  this 
sometimes  the  case  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles? 
It  was  not  so  on  the  da}^  of  Pentecost.  The  m.ulti- 
tude  were  '  pricked  in  their  hearts  '  because  the 
moment  they  were  convinced  that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ  they  were  filled  with  a  sense  of  their  wicked- 
ness in  crucifying  Him.  So  it  is  with  persons  in 
Christian  lands  v/hen  their  minds  become  interested 
in  the  truth  ;  they  are  made  to  feel  their  wicked- 
ness in  so  long  resisting  its  influences.  But  the 
case  seems  to  have  been  different  when  Philip  first 
carried  the  Gospel  to  Samaria.  The  first  effect 
there  seems  to  have  been  that  of  '  great  joy.' 

"  It  seems  to  be  thus  in  Amoy.  The  conviction 
of  deep  sinfulness  comes  by  meditating  on  the 
Gospel,  the  work  of  Christ,  etc. 

"  It  is  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  after 
all,  which  should  be  the  theme  of  our  discourses." 


no        At  the  Foot  of  the  Bojnboos. 

March  i8,  1851.     To  his  brother,  Goyn. 

"  They  say  in  regard  to  preaching,  that  when  a 
man  has  nothing  more  to  say  he  had  better  stop. 
If  this  rule  were  carried  out  in  conversation  and 
letter-writing,  there  would  be  much  less  said  and 
written  in  the  world,  than  is  now  the  case. 

"  You  seem  to  think  that  we  missionaries  can  sit 
down  at  any  time  and  write  letters,  always  having 
enough  matter  that  will  be  interesting  to  you  at 
home.  This  is  a  good  theory  enough,  but  facts  do 
not  always  bear  it  out. 

"  Our  missionary  work  moves  on  usually  in  the 
same  steady  manner  without  many  ups  and  downs 
or  interesting  episodes  (rather  a  mixture  of  figures 
you  will  say),  which  we  think  worthy  of  note.  I 
wish  you  folks  at  home  could  send  us  more  men  to 
drive  on  the  work  a  little  faster.  The  door  of 
access  at  Amoy  still  continues  as  wide  open  as 
ever,  and  now  seems  to  be  the  time  for  the  Church 
to  send  her  men  and  occupy  the  post,  which  the 
Master  offers  to  her.  But  the  Church  at  home 
cannot,  it  seems,  look  at  this  matter  as  we  who  are 
on  the  ground 

PRIMITIVE   LAMPS. 

"  We  have  no  good  lamps  yet  for  the  church,  con- 
sequently cannot  open  it  in  the  evening.     But  I 


CHINESE   BRIDE   AND  GROOM. 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.        1 1 1 

have  prepared  some  lamps  for  my  chapel.  I  think  \ 
you  would  laugh  to  see  them.  They  are  four  in 
number.  Two  of  them  are  merely  small  tumblers 
hung  up  by  wires  and  cords.  By  means  of  another 
wire  a  wick  is  suspended  in  each  tumbler  and  the 
tumbler  filled  with  oil.  The  other  two  are  on  the 
same  principle,  but  the  tumblers  are  hung  in  a  kind 
of  glass  globe  which  is  suspended  by  brass  chains. 
These  look  considerably  more  ornamental  than  the 
first  two.  Whether  you  laugh  at  them  or  not, 
they  answer  a  very  good  purpose.  They  do  not 
make  the  room  as  light  as  would  be  required  in  a 
church,  in  as  large  a  city  as  Amoy  is,  in  the  United 
States,  but  by  means  of  them  my  chapel  is  open  on 
Sunday  evenings  and  on  every  other  evening  in  the 
week  except  one.  The  church  and  chapel  are  both 
open  almost  every  afternoon  in  the  week,  and 
sometimes  in  the  mornings.  One,  two,  three,  or 
more  of  the  converts  are  always  ready  to  hold  forth 
almost  every  afternoon  and  evening.  Besides  this, 
they  go  to  other  thoroughfares  frequently  and 
preach  the  Gospel  as  well  as  they  are  able.  For 
much  of  the  work  these  converts  are  perhaps  better 
adapted  than  ourselves.  They  understand  the 
superstitions  of  the  people  in  their  practical  work- 
ing, better  than  we  probably  will  ever  be  able  to 
learn  them." 


112        At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos. 


ZEALOUS   CONVERTS. 

"April  14,  1851.  There  are  now  in  connection 
with  our  church  thirteen  converts.  In  connection 
with  the  church  of  the  London  brethren  there  are 
eight.  Two  of  our  members,  although  compelled 
to  labor  with  their  hands  for  the  sustenance  of 
themselves  and  their  families,  yet  devote  the  after- 
noons and  evenings  of  almost  every  day  in  the  week, 
in  making  known  the  way  of  salvation  to  their 
countrymen.  They  spend  the  Sabbath  also,  only 
omitting  their  labors  long  enougli  to  listen  to  the 
preaching  of  the  missionary  and  to  partake  of  their 
noonday  meal,  from  early  in  the  morning  until 
bedtime,  in  the  same  way,  publishing  the  Gospel  to 
their  countrymen." 

THE  TERM  QUESTION. 
It  was  at  this  tiire  that  the  translation  of  the 
Bible  into  the  Classic  Chinese  Version,  or  "  Dele- 
gates' Version  "  as  it  was  afterwards  called,  was 
going  on.  A  long  and  heated  controversy  had 
arisen  as  to  the  proper  terms  in  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage to  be  used  in  translation  of  the  words  "  God  " 
and  "  Spirit."  Missionaries  in  different  parts  of 
the  empire  took  most  opposite  views  and  held  them 
with  the  greatest  tenacity.    The  Missionar}'  Boards 


At  tJie  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.         i  [3 

and  Bible  Societies  in  Great  Britain  and  America 
were  deeply  interested  spectators.  The  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  and 
the  American  Bible  Society  became  participators. 
On  what  they  considered  satisfactory  evidence  they 
declared  in  favor  of  certain  Chinese  words  and 
characters  to  be  used  in  preaching  the  Gospel  and 
in  translating  the  Scriptures.  They  advised  their 
missionaries  and  Bible  distributors  of  their  deci- 
sion. 

The  missionaries  at  Amoy,  Messrs.  John  and 
Alexander  Stronach,  London  Mission,  and  Messrs. 
Doty  and  Talmage,  had  very  strong  convictions  on 
this  subject.  Their  views  agreed.  Rev.  John 
Stronach  was  one  of  the  Committee  who  prepared 
the  "  Delegates'  Version."  The  views  of  the 
brethren  at  Amoy  were  diametrically  opposed  to 
the  decisions  of  the  American  Board  and  Ameri- 
can Bible  Society.  In  a  long  letter  of  eighty- 
four  pages,  addressed  to  Drs.  Anderson  and 
De  Witt,  Oct.  31,  1851,  Mr.  Talmage  sets  forth 
their  side  of  the  question.  No  man  can  read  that 
document,  weighty  with  learning  and  charged  with 
moral  earnestness,  but  must  feel  the  profoundest 
respect  for  the  writer,  however  he  may  dissent  from 
his  arguments.     He  concludes  as  follows: 

"  Such  are  our  views  concerning  the  use  of  the 


114        -^^  ^'^^  Foot  of  the  Bamboos. 

words  '  Shin '  and  '  Ling '  as  translations  of  the 
words  'God'  and  'Spirit.'  While  we  hold  our- 
selves open  to  conviction,  if  it  can  be  proved  that 
we  are  wrong,  we  at  present  hold  these  views 
firmly.  We  may  not  have  succeeded  in  convincing 
the  Prudential  Committee  that  our  views  are  cor- 
rect, yet  we  trust  we  have  convinced  them  that  we 
have  given  due  attention  to  the  subject.  We  now 
ask,  Can  the  Prudential  Committee  expect  of  us, 
while  we  hold  such  views,  to  conform  to  their  deci- 
sion? Would  they  respect  us  if  we  did?  We 
could  not  respect  ourselves.  If  we  could  thus 
trifle  with  conscientious  views  on  subjects  of  such 
importance,  we  certainly  should  regard  ourselves  as 
being  unworthy  to  be  called  missionaries  of  the 
A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  or  any  other  Protestant  association, 
and  we  think  the  Prudential  Committee  would 
also  lose  confidence  in  us.  We  now  feel  called 
upon  to  state  our  views  in  reference  to  the  pro- 
priety of  the  varioi'.s  missionary  societies  and  Bible 
societies  and  other  institutions  deciding  for  us 
what  terms  we  shall  use  and  what  terms  we  shall 
not  use  in  preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen. 
We  shall  state  our  views  with  the  utmost  kindness 
and  with  all  due  deference  to  those  from  whom  we 
differ.  We  cannot  doubt  that  the  Prudential 
Committee  are  willing  also  and  desire  us  to  state 


At  the  Foot  of  tJic  Bamboos.         1 1 5 

our  views  with  the  utmost  frankness.  If  our  views 
are  incorrect,  we  desire  that  others  use  the  same 
freedom  in  pointing  out  our  errors.  Our  views  are 
these: — The  societies  in  the  United  States  and 
England  are  not  called  upon,  at  least  at  the  present 
time,  to  decide  this  question  for  us.  Those  socie- 
ties which  have  made  such  decision  have  acted 
prematurely.  In  deciding  this  question  authorita- 
tively, they  are  assuming  a  responsibility  which  we 
think  they  are  not  called  upon  to  assume.  This 
responsibility  belongs  properly  to  the  missionaries, 
and  they,  we  say  it  with  all  due  respect,  are  much 
better  qualified  to  bear  this  responsibility  ;  for  they 
are  better  qualified  to  judge  of  the  evidence  and 
discover  the  truth  in  the  case.  If  they  are  not, 
then  they  are  not  qualified  to  be  missionaries. 
But  whether  better  qualified  or  not,  they  are  ac- 
countable to  a  higher  power  than  that  of  any 
society  under  whose  patronage  they  may  labor. 
Whatever  be  the  decision  of  such  society,  they  are 
still  bound,  in  preaching  the  Gospel,  to  conform 
to  their  conscientious  views  of  truth.  The  only 
way  to  produce  agreement  among  Protestant  mis- 
sionaries is  not  by  authoritative  decisions  or  even 
by  compromise,  but  by  producing  evidence  sufifi- 
cient  to  convince  the  judgment.  We  must  have 
evidence.     In  selecting  men  for  China  or  any  other 


ii6        At  the  Foot  of  tJie  Bamboos. 

heathen  field,  missionary  societies  should  first  ex- 
amine whether  they  have  mental  ability  to  acquire 
the  language  of  the  people  to  whom  they  are 
going.  If  they  are  deficient  in  this  respect  they 
should  not  be  sent,  and  if  missionaries  on  the 
ground  are  found  deficient  in  this  respect  they 
should  be  recalled." 

The  "  term  question  "  has  not  been  settled  to 
this  day. 

Jan.  22,  1852.     To  Dr.  Anderson. 

"  I  made  another  effort  to  extend  our  influence 
by  going  out  towards  evening  into  the  streets  and 
selecting  eligible  situations  from  which  to  preach 
to  those  who  would  assemble.  In  this  manner  I 
often  had  opportunity  to  publish  the  glad  tidings 
more  widely  than  we  can  do  in  our  houses  of  wor- 
ship. I  found  much  encouragement  in  this  work. 
If  we  had  the  physical  strength  we  might  thus 
preach  day  after  day,  from  morning  to  night,  and 
find  multitudes  ready  to  listen." 

WHAT   IT   COSTS   A   CHINESE   TO   BECOME   A 
CHRISTIAN. 

In  the  same  letter,  speaking  of  ten  converts  re- 
ceived, he  says:  "  One  of  them  was  gaining  a  mere 
living  from  the  profits  of  a  small  shop,  in  which  he 
sold  paper  and   candles  to  be  used   in  idolatrous 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.         117 

worship.  As  he  became  acquainted  with  the  Gos- 
pel, he  soon  found  that  his  business  was  opposed 
to  the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  A  hard  contest 
ensued,  but  the  power  of  the  Gospel  finally  tri- 
umphed. He  gave  up  his  business  and  with  it  his 
only  prospect  of  making  a  livelihood  and  for  some 
months  had  no  other  prospect  before  him  and  his 
family  but  beggary  or  starvation,  except  such  a 
hope  as  God  afforded.  Another  held  a  small  office 
of  government,  the  requirements  of  which  were 
inconsistent  with  obedience  to  the  Gospel,  but  the 
perquisites  of  which  were  his  only  means  of  sus- 
taining his  family,  including  an  aged  father.  In  his 
case  the  conflict  seemed  yet  more  fearful  and  lasted 
a  much  longer  time.  We  hoped  that  the  truth  had 
taken  a  deep  hold  on  him,  but  we  began  to  tremble 
for  the  result.  The  love  of  Christ,  as  we  trust, 
finally  gained  the  victory.  He  gave  up  his  of^ce, 
gave  up  his  living,  gave  up  the  world,  that  he  might 
find  the  salvation  of  his  soul  and  confess  Christ 
before  men.  So  also  with  the  most  of  the  others. 
They  were  called  to  sacrifice  their  worldly  pros- 
pects, in  order  to  embrace  the  Gospel.  Christians 
in  our  beloved  land  hardly  know  what  it  is  to  take 
up  the  cross  and  follow  Christ.  The  ridicule  and 
obloquy  with  which  they  meet,  if  indeed  they  meet 
with  any,  is  not  a  tithe  of  that  to  which  the  native 


ii8         At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos. 

convert  here  is  exposed.  Besides,  they  are  seldom 
called  to  suffer  much  temporal  loss  for  the  sake  of 
Christ,  but  it  is  very  different  with  him.  If  he  be- 
long to  the  literary  class,  he  must  give  up  all  hope 
of  preferment.  If  he  be  in  the  employ  of  the 
government,  he  may  expect  to  be  deprived  of  his 
employment,  if  indeed  he  be  not  compelled  to  give 
it  up  from  conscientious  motives.  If  he  be  a  shop- 
keeper, his  observance  of  the  Lord's  day  will  prob- 
ably deprive  him  of  many  of  his  customers,  and  if 
he  be  in  the  employ  of  others  the  same  reason 
will  render  it  very  difficult  for  him  to  retain  his 
situation." 

PERSECUTED    FOR   CHRIST'S    SAKE. 

April  6,  1852.     To  his  brother,  Goyn. 

"  I  promised  to  give  some  account  of  the  young  man 
who  was  baptized  on  the  Sabbath  before  the  last. 
His  name  is  KJii  (pronounced  like  the  letter  "Z" 
of  the  Greek  alphabet).  Early  last  year  I  noticed 
a  young  man  who  began  to  be  quite  regular  in  at- 
tending service  at  my  chapel.  I  inquired  of  him 
where  he  lived  and  why  he  came.  He  said  he  was 
employed  in  burning  lime  at  a  lime-kiln  not  far  off 
from  my  house.  That  I  had  met  him  in  the  street 
and  invited  him  to  come  to  the  chapel.  Of  this  I 
remembered  nothing,  but  I  often  thus  invite  per- 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.         1 19 

sons  to  come  and  hear  the  Gospel.  He  said  he  came 
in  consequence  of  that  invitation.  But  having 
heard  the  doctrine,  he  found  it  to  be  good,  and  had 
embraced  it.  This  man  has  since  been  baptized. 
I  soon  learned  that  he  had  been  persuading  his  fel- 
low-workmen to  come  along  with  him.  One  of 
these  workmen  was  Khi,  He  soon  determined  to 
obey  the  doctrines  of  the  Scriptures.  One  of  these 
doctrines  brought  him  into  immediate  collision  with 
his  employer.  This  doctrine  was,  *  Remember  the 
Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy.'  He  refused  to  work 
on  the  Sabbath  day.  His  employer  told  him  if  he 
did  not  work  he  would  discharge  him.  Khi  was 
not  to  be  moved  from  his  determination  and  was 
finally  dismissed.  After  a  few  ineffectual  efforts  to 
get  employment,  he  returned  to  visit  his  father's 
family.  They  reside  a  day's  journey  from  Amoy. 
While  home  he  was  taken  ill.  It  was  two  or  three 
months  before  he  returned  again  to  Amoy.  When 
he  came  back  I  conversed  with  him  concerning  his 
conduct  while  away.  He  had  as  yet  but  little 
knowledge  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  But  I 
was  much  gratified  at  the  simplicity  of  piety  which 
his  narration  manifested.  He  had  not  only  en- 
deavored to  serve  God  himself,  but  had  endeavored 
to  persuade  others  also  to  turn  unto  God.  After 
his  return,  all  his  efforts  to  get  employment  failed. 


I20        At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos. 

I  spoke  to  a  mason  who  has  done  much  work  for 
us,  and  who  employs  many  workmen,  and  requested 
him  to  employ  Khi  for  the  carrying  of  bricks  and 
mortar  and  such  work,  if  he  had  an  opening  for 
him.  He  consented  to  do  so  and  employed  him 
for  a  short  time.  But  Khi's  fellow-workmen  did 
not  like  his  religion  and  succeeded  in  getting  him 
discharged.  In  consequence  of  the  dampness  of 
the  climate,  it  is  not  safe  for  foreigners  to  live  on 
the  first  floor.  We  always  live  above  stairs.  There- 
fore I  have  rooms  in  the  lower  part  of  my  house 
unoccupied.  Khi  asked  me  if  he  might  sleep  in 
one  of  these  rooms.  I  of  course  consented.  He 
had  no  bed  or  bedding.  I  had  some  empty  boxes 
in  the  room.  He  put  these  together,  and  laid  some 
straw  and  a  straw  mat  on  them  for  his  bed.  After 
he  was  discharged  by  the  mason,  he  endeavored  to 
make  a  living  by  carrying  potatoes  about  the  street 
for  sale.  His  profits  were  from  two  to  four  cents  a 
day.  He  made  no  complaint.  He  lived  on  pota- 
toes. Winter  came  on  ;  he  had  no  means  of  buying 
clothing,  or  better  food.  The  consequence  was 
that  he  became  ill.  The  room  in  which  he  slept 
was  directly  under  my  study.  Almost  every  night 
I  would  hear  his  voice  engaged  in  prayer,  before 
he  retired  to  his  straw.  Sometimes  he  would  pray 
for  a  long,  long  time.     The  first  thing  in  the  morn- 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.         1 2 1 


ing  again  I  would  hear  his  voice  in  prayer.  I  knew 
that  he  was  destitute,  but  as  he  never  complained, 
I  knew  not  how  great  his  destitution  was,  and  did 
not  dare  to  help  him  lest  it  would  throw  out  in- 
ducements for  others  to  profess  Christianity.  We 
are  continually  compelled  to  guard  against  this 
danger.  Many  of  these  poor  people  would  profess 
Christianity  for  the  sake  of  a  living.  One  Sabbath 
evening  I  heard  his  voice  in  prayer,  much  earlier 
than  usual,  and  therefore  it  attracted  particular  at- 
tention. Presently  word  came  to  me  that  Khi  was 
ill.  I  went  down  to  see  him.  It  made  my  heart 
bleed  to  see  a  fellow-creature  in  such  destitution, 
one,  moreover,  who  I  hoped  was  a  brother  in  Christ 
Jesus.  I  had  had  no  idea  that  his  destitution  was 
so  great.  He  seemed  to  be  suffering  under  a  severe 
attack  of  colic.  On  inquiry  as  to  how  he  usually 
fared,  I  did  not  wonder  that  he  was  ill.  I  gave  him 
a  little  medicine,  took  means  to  get  him  warm  and 
he  was  soon  relieved. 

"  I  then  had  some  good  food  prepared  for  him. 
I  was  peculiarly  struck  with  the  meekness  and 
patience  wherewith  he  bore  his  sufferings.  There 
was  not  a  murmuring  word  from  his  lips,  but  many 
words  of  an  opposite  character.  The  next  day  I 
called  him  into  my  study  to  give  him  a  little  money 
with  which  to  buy  clothing  and  food.     But  I  had 


122        At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos. 

great  difficulty  in  persuading  him  to  take  it.  He 
said  his  sufferings  were  of  no  consequence.  They 
were  much  less  than  he  deserved.  The  sufferings 
of  this  world  were  all  only  for  a  short  time.  They 
were  sent  upon  us  to  teach  us  not  to  love  the 
world.  Much  more  he  said  to  this  effect.  I  had 
to  call  upon  one  of  the  native  converts  to  intercede 
with  him,  before  he  would  take  the  money.  But  I 
must  not  dwell  on  this  subject  longer.  From  what 
I  have  said  about  our  missionary  work,  you  will 
understand  why  the  missionary  loves  his  work  and 
why  he  would  not  leave  it  for  any  other  work, 
unless  duty  compels  him." 

"  HE    IS   ONLY   A    BEGGAR." 
Nov.  27,   1852.      To  the  Sunday-school  of  the 
Reformed  Church  at  Boundbrook,  New  Jersey. 

"There  is  very  much  poverty  and  misery  among 
the  heathen.  They  do  not  pity  each  other  and 
love  each  other  as  some  Christians  do.  Thosevvho 
have  the  comforts  of  life  seem  to  have  very  little 
pity  for  those  who  are  destitute.  Therefore  they 
have  no  poorhouses  where  the  poor  may  be  taken 
care  of.  Consequently  very  many  steal,  very  many 
beg,  and  very  many  starve  to  death.  In  going 
from  my  house  to  church  on  the  Sabbath  I  have 
counted  more  than  thirty  beggars  on  the  streets. 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.         123 

The  most  of  them  were  such  pitiable-looking  ob- 
jects as  you  never  saw.  I  have  seen  persons  who 
are  called  beggars  in  the  United  States,  but  I 
never  saw  a  real  beggar  till  I  came  to  Amoy. 
Some  of  them  are  covered  with  filth  and  a  few 
filthy  rags.  Some  of  them  are  without  eyes,  some 
without  noses,  some  without  hands,  and  some 
without  feet.  Some  crawl  upon  their  hands  and 
feet,  some  sit  down  in  the  streets  and  shove  them- 
selves along,  and  some  lie  down  andean  only  move 
along  by  rolling  over  and  over.  On  Sunday  before 
last,  while  I  was  preaching,  a  blind  girl  came  into  the 
chapel.  She  was  led  by  a  string  attached  to  a  boy 
going  before  her.  He  could  see,  but  could  not 
walk.  He  crept  along  on  his  hands  and  knees.  A 
month  or  two  ago,  during  a  cold  storm,  late  in  the 
evening,  just  as  I  was  going  to  bed,  I  heard  some 
one  groaning  by  my  front  door.  I  went  out  to  see 
what  was  the  matter.  I  found  an  old  man  with 
white  beard  lying  in  the  mud  and  water,  and  with 
very  little  clothing.  He  was  shivering  from  cold. 
He  was  unable  to  speak.  I  had  him  carried  into  my 
house,  and  covered  over  with  some  mats.  We 
prepared  some  warm  drink  and  food  for  him,  as 
speedily  as  possible,  hoping  that  thus  we  might 
save  his  life.  But  before  we  could  get  it  ready  he 
died.      He    had    probably    been    carried    by    some 


T  24        At  tJie  Foot  of  the  Bamboos. 

persons  and  laid  at  my  door  to  die,  that  they  might 
be  free  from  the  trouble  and  expense  of  burying 
him. 

"A  week  or  two  ago  when  walking  through  the 
streets  I  saw  a  beggar  lying  a  little  distance  off.  I 
inquired  whether  he  was  already  dead.  Some  men, 
who  stood  near,  said  '  Yes.'  I  then  asked  why 
they  did  not  bury  him.  '  Oh,  he  is  of  no  use.'  I 
inquired, '  Is  he  not  a  man  ?  '  '  No,'  they  said,  '  he 
is  only  a  beggar.'  '  But,'  I  asked  again,  '  is  he  not 
still  dLinan}'  They  laughed  and  answered,  'Yes.' 
A  few  days  after,  walking  with  Mrs.  Talmage  by 
the  same  place,  we  saw  another  beggar  lying  nearly 
in  the  same  spot.  I  inquired  of  the  persons  who 
were  near  whether  he  was  dead.  They  answered, 
'Yes.'  Close  by  sat  a  beggar  who  was  still  alive. 
He  was  scarcely  grown  up.  But  his  face  was  so 
deformed  from  suffering  that  we  could  not  guess 
his  age.  He  held  out  his  hands  for  alms.  We 
gave  him  a  few  cash  and  went  on.  The  next  day 
we  passed  that  way  again.  We  saw  two  beggars  lying 
together,  both  dead.  We  went  to  them.  One  was 
the  lad  to  whom  we  gave  the  cash  the  day  pre- 
vious. On  Sunday  in  coming  from  church  we 
again  passed  by  that  sad  spot,  and  there  was  still  an- 
other beggar  lying  dead  directly  in  the  road.  This 
gives  you,  in  part,  a  picture  of  what  heathenism  is." 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos.         125 

Parts  of  two  letters  written  in  1852  to  his  sister 
Catharine  will  prove  interesting, 

PRINTING   UNDER   DIFFICULTIES. 

"Our  work  here  is  continually  growing  on  our 
hands.  Besides  our  usual  missionary  work,  I  do  a 
little  teaching,  a  little  book-making,  and  a  little 
printing.  You  did  not  know,  perhaps,  that  I  am 
a  printer.  We  are  teaching  a  few  persons  to  read 
the  colloquial  (or  spoken)  language  of  Amoy. 
But  in  order  to  teach  this,  it  is  necessary  that 
this  spoken  language  be  committed  to  writing.  It 
is  necessary  to  have  books  printed  in  it.  We 
have  no  printing  press  at  Amoy.  I  have  had  some 
types  cut  on  bone  or  horn.  With  these  I  print 
a  copy.  This  is  handed  to  the  carver.  He  pastes 
it  upside  down  on  a  block  and  carves  the  words 
on  the  block.  This  block  is  then  inked  and  is 
made  to  print  other  copies.  It  is  a  slow  pro- 
cess, but  the  only  one  we  have  at  Amoy  at 
present.  I  have  thus  prepared  a  spelling-book  in 
the  Amoy  colloquial.  It  is  not  all  completed  yet. 
The  carver  is  busy  with  the  last  two  or  three 
sheets.  A  few  of  the  first  sheets  were  struck  off 
some  weeks  ago  and  made  up  into  small  books, 
which  we  have  been  using  to  teach  those  who  are 
learning  to  read,  until  the  whole  book  is  complete. 


126        At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos. 

Our  printing  is  not  very  pretty.  When  the  carvers 
get  more  experienced  in  their  work,  they  will  be 
able  to  do  their  part  better.  Our  plan  of  teaching 
is  as  follows  :  On  Monday  afternoon  we  have  a 
meeting  for  women  at  our  house.  Before  and 
after  the  service  we  teach  them  (those  of  them  who 
wish  to  learn)  to  spell.  On  Tuesday  afternoon, 
Mrs.  Doty  meets  those  who  wish  to  learn,  in  a 
room  connected  with  the  church.  On  Wednesday, 
Mrs.  Doty  has  a  meeting  for  women  at  her 
house.  She  also  spends  a  little  time  then  in 
teaching  them.  On  Friday,  Abby  and  I  go  to 
the  church  and  spend  about  an  hour  in  teaching. 
We  cannot  expect  them  to  make  very  rapid 
progress  in  this  manner  of  teaching,  but  it  is  the 
best  we  can  do  for  them  at  present.  There  are 
two  little  girls  who  have  been  coming  to  our  house 
every  day  for  more  than  a  month.  They  are  begin- 
ning to  read." 

"  I  must  tell  you  a  little  of  what  I  have  been 
doing  to-day.  This  forenoon,  among  other  things, 
I  doctored  a  Yankee  clock.  I  bought  it  in  Amoy 
nearly  a  year  ago  for  three  dollars.  Sometimes  it 
goes,  and  sometimes  it  stands  still.  But  it  stands 
still  much  more  than  it  goes.  This  morning  I  took 
it  all  apart,  every  wheel  out,  rubbed  each  wheel  off, 
and  put   the  clock   together  again.      It   has   been 


At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos,         127 

running  ever  since,  but  how  long  it  will  continue  to 
run,  I  cannot  tell. 

CARRIER  PIGEONS. 
"Our  cook,  'Lo,'  takes  care  of  our  pigeons. 
Some  have  died  and  a  few  have  been  stolen,  but 
they  have  continued  gradually  to  increase.  They 
now  number  twenty.  They  are  very  pretty,  and 
very  tame.  They  spend  much  of  the  time  on  the 
open  veranda  in  front  of  our  house.  Some  of 
them  are  of  a  dark  brown  color,  some  are  perfectly 
white,  some  are  black  and  white.  We  shall  soon 
have  enough  to  begin  eating  pigeon  pies,  but  I 
suppose  we  shall  be  loth  to  kill  the  pretty  birds. 
Some  of  them  are  of  the  Carrier  pigeon  species. 
We  might  take  them  to  a  good  distance  from 
Amoy  and  they  would  doubtless  find  their  way 
home  again.  The  Chinese  have  a  small  whistle 
which  they  sometimes  fasten  on  the  back  of  the 
pigeons  near  the  tail.  'Lo'  has  some  attached  to 
some  of  our  pigeons.  When  they  fly  swiftly 
through  the  air,  you  can  hear  the  whistle  at  a  great 
distance.  The  noise  often  reminds  us  of  the 
whistle  of  a  locomotive. 

"  The  gold-fish  in  the  lamp  continue  much  as 
when  I  wrote  before.  We  have  made  some  addi- 
tions  to  our  flower-pots   and   flowers  this    spring 


128         At  the  Foot  of  the  Bamboos. 


Our  open  veranda  is  being  turned  into  a  sort  of 
open  garden.  We  now  have  from  sixty  to  seventy 
pots,  from  the  size  of  a  barrel  down  to  the  size  of  a 
two-quart  measure.  Some  of  them  are  empty  and 
some  of  them  are  not.  Besides  flowers,  we  have 
parsley,  onions,  peppers,  mint,  etc.,  etc.  Our 
garden  does  not  flourish  as  well  as  it  would,  if  I 
had  time  to  attend  to  it.  Besides  this,  the  pigeons 
are  very  fbnd  of  picking  off  the  young  sprouts. 
Lest  you  should  think  us  too  extravagant,  I  ought 
to  tell  you  the  cost  of  the  flower-pots.  Those 
which  were  presented  to  us,  did  not  cost  us  any- 
thing. Those  we  bought,  cost  from  a  cent  apiece 
to  sixpence.  Some  two  or  three  cost  as  high  as 
fifteen  or  twenty  cents  apiece.  But  you  will  never 
understand  how  nice  and  how  odd  we  have  it, 
unless  you  step  in  some  day  to  look  for  yourself." 


THE  "LITTLE   KNIFE"   INSURRECTION. 


(i2g) 


VI. 
THE  ''LITTLE  KNIFE"  INSURRECTION. 

China  has  maintained  her  integrity  as  an  empire 
for  hundreds  of  years.  But  not  without  struggle. 
There  have  been  rebelHons  and  dynastic  over- 
throws that  threatened  to  cleave  the  empire  to  its 
foundations.  Indeed  rebellion  has  often  had  the 
sanction  of  religion  in  China.  Let  a  government  be 
unsuccessful ;  let  a  dynasty  see  the  gaunt  hand  of 
famine,  or  the  poison  hand  of  pestilence  laid  on  the 
land,  that  is  the  mute  voice  of  Heaven  speaking 
against  those  who  rule.  And  what  nobler  than  to 
be  self-chosen  executors  of  Heaven's  vengeance. 
Green-eyed  envy  in  imperial  pavilion  and  court- 
rooms has  often  stood  sponsor  to  the  wildest  law- 
lessness. A  base  and  extortionate  government  has 
often  driven  men  in  sheer  self-defence  to  tearing 
down  yamens  and  hunting  down  the  "  tiger  "  man- 
darin. 

The  present  Manchu  dynasty  seized  the  Dragon 
throne  in  1644.     For  one  hundred   and  fifty  years 

China  enjoyed  comparative  peace  and  prosperity. 

(131) 


132     The  ''Little  Knife''  Insurrection. 

The  emperor  Kang-hi  and  his  grandson  Keenlung, 
each  reigned  sixty  years,  to  the  Chinese  a  manifest 
token  of  Heaven's  favor.  The  past  one  hundred 
years  have  been  troublous.  There  has  been  internal 
strife.  There  have  been  momentous  issues  to  settle 
in  the  opening  of  China's  gates  to  the  outside 
world.  When  she  needed  Emperors  of  the  broadest 
statesmanship,  she  has  had  to  blunder  along  with 
mediocre  men  or  bend  an  unwilling  neck  under  the 
sway  of  puppets.  Had  it  not  been  for  her  great 
Prime  Ministers,  such  as  Prince  Kung  and  Li  Hung 
Chang,  the  days  would  have  been  fuller  of  dark- 
presaging  omens  and  their  disastrous  fulfilment. 

The  beginning  of  this  century  found  a  secret 
society  in  existence  known  as  the  "Triads,"  whose 
avowed  object  was  the  expulsion  of  the  Manchus 
and  the  restoration  of  the  Mings.  In  1803  the  em- 
peror Kiaking  was  attacked  in  open  day  while 
being  carried  in  a  chair  of  state  through  the  streets 
of  Peking.  He  was  saved  by  his  attendants, 
several  of  whom  lost  their  lives. 

In  1 85 1  the  Tai-ping  Rebellion  began.  The 
fuel  that  fed  the  flame  was  various.  It  was  reaction 
against  oppressive  government.  It  was  iconoclasm 
inspired  by  a  spurious  Christianity.  It  was  pride 
of  race  that  would  not  tolerate  a  Manchu  on  the 
thcone.     For  fourteen  years  China  staggered  under 


The  ''Little  Knife'''  Insurrection.    133 

this  awful  scourge.  Whole  provinces  were  devas- 
tated and  almost  depopulated.  For  a  long  time 
the  issue  was  uncertain.  At  length  the  united 
strength  of  foreigners  and  Chinese  battered  the 
serpent's  head  and  destroyed  its  vitals. 

While  the  boa  of  rebellion  was  stretching  itself 
across  the  heart  of  the  empire  a  whole  brood  of 
little  serpents  were  poisoning  and  devouring  other 
outlying  provinces.  An  insurrection  was  organized 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Amoy  early  in  1853.  Mr. 
Talmage  writes  fully  concerning  it. 

THE   "LITTLE    KNIFE"    INSURRECTION. 

Jan.  25,  1853,  To  the  Sunday-school,  Flushing, 
New  York. 

"  The  streets  of  Amoy  are  very  narrow.  The 
widest  are  only  a  few  yards  wide.  At  very  short 
distances  apart,  there  are  gates  across  the  streets. 
The  object  of  these  gates,  and  the  principal  cause 
of  the  streets  being  so  narrow,  are  to  protect  the 
inhabitants  from  gangs  of  thieves.  In  the  winter 
season,  when  men  have  more  leisure  and  more 
temptation  to  plunder,  these  gates  are  closed  every 
night.  During  the  present  winter  the  people  sccni 
to  have  had  more  fear  of  robbers  than  usual.  Old 
gates  have  been  repaired  and  many  new  gates  hav(^ 
been  built.     The  inhabitants  of  a  Christian  land, 


134     The  ''Little  Knife'''  Iiisin-rcction. 

like  America,  do  not  fear  to  live  alone  in  the  coun- 
try without  any  near  neighbors.  But  in  this  region 
a  house  standing  alone  in  the  country  is  scarcely 
ever  seen.  The  people  always  collect  together  in 
villages  or  towns  or  cities.  The  villages  are  usu- 
ally provided  with  small  watch-towers,  built  of  stone 
or  brick,  in  which  a  few  men  may  sleep  as  sentinels 
to  give  notice  of  the  approach  of  robbers,  and  to 
fire  on  them.  Even  in  the  towns  and  cities  you 
seldom  see  a  dwelling-house  with  an  outside  win- 
dow. If  there  be  such  a  window,  it  is  usually 
guarded  by  slabs  of  granite,  or  by  mason-work 
with  only  small  openings,  like  the  windows  of  a 
prison,  so  that  a  person  cannot  pass  through." 

June  3,  1853.     To  Dr.  Anderson. 

"  In  March  last  one  of  the  members  of  our  church, 
Chhcng-choan,  requested  that  he  might  be  sent  in 
company  with  the  colporteur  on  a  trip  to  the  city 
of  Chiangchiu  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  distribute 
tracts.  He  said  that  his  heart  was  very  ardent  to 
go  and  make  known  the  Gospel.  He  was  willing 
to  give  the  time  and  bear  his  own  expenses.  He  is 
a  native  of  the  city  of  Chiangchiu." 

"  They  made  two  visits,  one  in  company  with  Rev. 
W.  C.  Burns.  Many  of  the  people  requested  them 
to  establish  a  permanent  place.  Houses  were  offered 
them   for  rent.     A   few  davs  after  their  return  to 


The  ''Little   Knife'''  Insin^rection.     135 

Amoy  two  men  who  had  been  much  interested  in 
their  preaching  came  down  and  spent  several  days 
with  us  in  order  that  they  might  learn  the  way  of 
the  Lord  more  perfectly." 

"On  the  3d  of  May  we  called  a  meeting  of  the 
male  members  of  our  church,  to  take  into  consider- 
ation the  subject  of  immediately  sending  two  of 
their  number  to  Chiangchiu,  to  commence  perma- 
nent operations.  The  members  were  unanimous  in 
the  opinion  that  the  Master  had  opened  the  way 
before  us,  and  was  calling  us  to  go  forward.  It 
was  decided  that  if  two  men  qualified  for  the  work 
would  volunteer,  they  should  immediately  be  sent. 
It  was  then  suggested  that  if  two  more  men  were 
ready  perhaps  it  would  be  well  to  appoint  them  for 
the  region  north  of  us,  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  the 
villages  and  towns  between  Amoy  and  Chinchew 
and  see  whether  the  way  might  not  be  open  to 
begin  operations  in  that  city.  Chinchew  is  an  im- 
portant city  near  the  seacoast,  about  one-third  of 
the  way  from  Amoy  to  Foochow.  The  suggestion 
concerning  the  appointment  of  men  for  Chinchew 
was  new  to  us.  Everything  seemed  favorable  for 
adopting  the  new  suggestion.  Four  men  imme- 
diately offered  themselves  for  the  work,  two  for 
Chiangchiu,  and  two  for  the  region  of  Chinchew. 
They  were  men  whom  we  thought  well  qualified 


136     The  "■Little  Knife'"  fjisurrcction. 

for  the  work,  probably  just  the  men  we  would  have 
chosen. 

"  The  evangelist  U,  and  the  colporteur  Lotia,  left 
Amoy  on  their  mission  to  Chiangchiu,  May  I2th. 
A  few  days  after  their  arrival,  about  midnight  on 
the  17th  of  May,  the  insurrection  broke  at  Chiang- 
chiu, which  interrupted  their  labors.  The  evan- 
gelist thought  that  quiet  would  soon  be  restored 
and  therefore  resolved  to  remain  a  few  days.  The 
people  rushed  upon  the  insurgents,  wrested  their 
arms  from  them,  and  slew  many  of  them.  The  in- 
surgents finding  themselves  overpowered  attempted 
to  flee.  The  gates  of  the  streets  were  closed 
against  them.  The  people  along  the  streets  at- 
tacked them  by  throwing  missiles  from  the  tops  of 
the  houses.  All  strangers  in  the  city  were  in  great 
danger  of  being  suspected  and  treated  as  insur- 
gents. The  evangelist  in  leaving  the  city  was 
seized  by  some  of  the  mob.  Some  said  he  was  one 
of  the  insurgents,  others  said  he  was  not.  He  sue. 
ceeded  in  making  his  escape  to  the  house  of  a 
friend  outside  of  the  city  walls.  The  colporteur 
made  his  escape  over  the  wall  of  the  city  and  fled 
to  the  house  of  some  friends  in  the  suburbs  near 
the  river-side.  By  my  letter  of  May  19th,  it  will 
be  seen  that  Amoy  was  attacked  by  the  insurgents 
on  the  morning  (May  iSth),  after  they  entered  the 


< 

r 

2 
o 

M 
O 

c 

M 
Z 

H 


The  ''Liltlc  Knife"  Lisiirrection.     137 

city  of  Chiangchiu,  The  insurgents  are  members 
of  a  secret  society.  For  very  many  years  there  has 
existed  in  this  region  a  society  by  the  name  of 
'  Thian-te-hoe,'  Heaven  and  Earth  Society.  This 
is  the  name  by  which  the  members  designate  their 
society.  But  as  the  members  are  generahy  pro- 
vided with  knives  or  small  swords,  the  society  is 
designated  by  the  people  as  '  Sio-to-hoe,'  Small 
Sword  Society,  The  professed  object  of  this  so- 
ciety has  been  the  overthrow  of  the  present  Tartar 
dynasty.  Between  this  and  Chiangchiu  the  mem- 
bers of  this  society  are  very  numerous.  After  the 
breaking  out  of  the  insurrection  at  Hai-teng,  and 
Chioh-be  (cities  fifteen  and  eighteen  miles  from 
Amoy,  half  way  to  Chiangchiu),  the  whole  popu- 
lace appeared  to  sympathize  with  the  movement. 
Large  bodies  of  the  insurgents  moved  up  the  river 
to  Chiangchiu,  others  came  down  the  river  to 
Amoy.  At  the  same  time  there  was  a  rising  of  the 
insurgents  at  Tong-an  and  An-khoe,  districts  to  the 
north  of  Amoy.  At  the  first  outbreak  the  officials 
and  soldiers  fled.  The  people  of  Amoy  have  been 
in  continual  excitement  and  fear.  They  are  afraid 
to  engage  in  business.  On  Sabbath  morning  we 
went  to  our  chapels  as  usual.  Shortly  after  com- 
mencing services,  news  came  that  a  fleet  of  war 
junks  under  the  command  of  the  Admiral  was  an- 


138     The  '^Little  Knife'"  Insurrectio7t. 

choring  a  short  distance  from  the  city.  Soon  the 
whole  city  was  in  commotion.  About  noon  a  de- 
tachment of  a  thousand  soldiers  was  landed  from 
the  junks.  They  marched  with  very  little  opposition 
through  the  town  to  the  gates  of  the  city.  They 
were  attacked  simultaneously  by  the  insurgents 
from  within,  and  by  those  in  ambush  without. 
The  insurgents  were  victorious. 

"  By  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  city  was 
comparatively  quiet,  and  we  repaired  to  our  church. 
Most  of  the  church  members  were  assembled.  Our 
church  edifice  is  situated  on  the  great  thoroughfare 
which  had  been  the  principal  scene  of  excitement. 
It  was  thought  best  to  suspend  the  usual  exercises, 
to  close  the  street  doors,  and  hold  if  possible  a 
quiet  prayer-meeting.  It  was  a  solemn  time.  The 
'confused  noise'  of  war  had  just  been  heard, 
human  blood  had  been  flowing,  the  angry  passions 
of  men  were  not  yet  calmed,  and  we  knew  not 
what  the  end  would  be.  We  felt  it  a  suitable  time 
to  draw  near  to  God  and  make  Him  our  refuge. 
This  afternoon  we  received  tidings  from  Chiangchiu. 
The  evangelist  was  arrested  by  twelve  men,  de- 
livered to  an  official  and  beheaded." 

''June  10,  1853.  The  state  of  affairs  through 
the  whole  of  this  region  remains  \^ry  unsettled. 
The  insurgents  are  endeavoring  to  regain  posses- 


The  ''Little  Knife'"  Insiirrcctioii.     139 

sion  of  the  city  of  Chiangchiu.  They  have  com- 
mand of  the  whole  region,  between  this  place  and 
that  city.  They  still  are  in  possession  of  Amoy. 
We  are  almost  daily  expecting  an  attack  by  the 
government  authorities. 

"  Amoy  is  cut  off  from  all  trade  with  the  large 
towns  around.  The  insurgents  probably  would 
not  permit  goods  to  be  carried  to  Chiangchiu  and 
other  places  with  which  they  are  at  war.  Besides, 
this  whole  region  is  infested  with  pirates.  It  is 
only  at  great  risk  that  any  merchant  junk  can  at 
present  come  to  or  depart  from  Amoy.  We  cannot 
yet  form  any  definite  opinion  as  to  the  final  result 
of  this  movement.  The  forces  of  the  insurgents 
are  none  of  them  drilled  soldiers.  Their  appear- 
ance is  that  of  an  armed  mob.  Their  weapons  are 
mostly  spears,  and  knives  and  matchlocks. 

"  At  the  time  the  insurrection  broke  out  in  our 
neighborhood  and  while  we  were  expecting  an  at- 
tack on  our  city  by  the  insurgents,  we  felt  some 
anxiety.  We  had  no  means  of  deciding  how  they 
would  feel  towards  foreigners.  We  supposed  they 
would  feel  it  to  be  for  their  own  interest  not  to 
meddle  with  foreigners.  They  knew  that  they  would 
have  enough  to  do  to  contend  with  their  own 
government,  without  at  the  same  time  involving 
themselves  with  foreign  powers.      More  than  all 


140     The  ''Little  Knife"'  Insurrection. 

this,  we  had  the  doctrines  and  promises  of  God's 
word  on  which  to  rely.  These  we  feel  at  all  times 
give  us  the  only  unfailing  security.  They  are 
worth  more  than  armies  and  navies.  It  is  only 
when  God  uses  armies  and  navies  for  the  fulfilment 
of  His  own  promises  that  they  are  worth  anything 
to  us." 

HOW   THE   CHINESE   FIGHT. 

July  28,  1853.  To  his  brother,  Daniel, 
"  I  suppose  you  v;ill  feel  more  desirous  to  learn 
about  the  state  of  politics  and  war  at  Amoy.  At 
present  everything  is  quiet.  Three  weeks  ago  an- 
other attempt  was  made  by  the  Mandarins  to  re- 
take Amoy.  They  landed  a  body  of  troops  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  island.  These  were  to  march 
across  the  island  (about  ten  miles)  and  attack  the 
city  by  land.  Simultaneously  an  attack  was  to  be 
made  on  the  city  from  the  water  side  by  the  Man- 
darin fleet.  It  is  said  that  the  land  forces  amounted 
to  about  10,000.  The  fleet  consisted  of  about 
forty  sail.  On  Wednesday  morning  (July  6th), 
about  daybreak,  the  troops  were  put  in  motion. 
They  were  met  with  about  an  equal  number  of  rebel 
troops.  They  fought  until  the  Mandarin  soldiers 
became  hungry  (about  eight  or  nine  o'clock).  Not 
being  relieved  at  that  time,  as  they  expected,  they 


The  ''Little  K7iife'''  Insurrection.     141 

withdrew  to  cook  their  rice.  The  Mandarin  in 
command  considering  that  his  Hfe  was  much  more 
important  than  that  of  the  soldiers,  kept  himself  at 
a  safe  distance  from  the  scene  of  action.  At  about 
breakfast-time  he  started  to  go  down  in  his  sedan- 
chair  nearer  the  scene  of  action.  When  he  saw 
that  his  troops  were  retiring  to  cook  their  break- 
fast, he  supposed  that  they  were  giving  way  before 
the  enemy.  Prudence  being  the  better  part  of 
valor,  he  ordered  his  chair-bearers  to  face  about 
and  carry  him  in  the  other  direction.  The  soldiers, 
finding  that  their  chief  officer  had  fled,  thought 
there  was  no  further  need  of  risking  their  lives,  so 
they  all  retired.  I  cannot  vouch  for  the  truth  of 
the  whole  of  the  above  statement.  Such,  however, 
is  the  story  soberly  related  by  some  of  the  Chinese. 
We  could  see  the  smoke  and  hear  the  reports  of 
the  guns  from  the  top  of  our  house.  The  fighting 
commenced  very  early.  We  thought  that  the 
Mandarin  troops  were  gradually  approaching  the 
city,  until  about  Chinese  breakfast-time  (eight  to 
nine  o'clock),  when  the  firing  ceased.  We  know 
not  how  many  lives  were  lost  in  the  engagement. 
The  rebels  brought  into  the  city  some  seventeen 
or  eighteen  heads  which  they  had  decapitated.  I 
know  not  whether  these  were  all  killed  in  the  fight 
or  whether  they  were  the  heads  of  some  villagers 


142     The  ''Little  Knife''  Insurrection. 

on  whom  the  rebels  took  vengeance  for  assisting 
the  Mandarins." 

"  Now  for  the  engagement  on  the  water.  The  rebel 
forces  on  the  water  were  much  inferior  to  the 
Mandarin  forces,  but  the  Chinese  say  they  fought 
more  desperately.  The  engagement  opened  on 
Wednesday  about  noon  and  lasted  until  nearly 
evening.  Towards  evening  the  Mandarin  fleet 
withdrew  a  few  miles  and  came  to  anchor.  On 
Thursday  at  high-tide  (about  noon)  the  engage- 
ment was  renewed.  Towards  evening  the  Man- 
darin fleet  again  withdrew  as  before.  On  Friday 
the  engagement  was  again  renewed  with  similar  re- 
sults. On  Saturday  the  Mandarin  fleet  withdrew 
entirely  and  left  the  harbor. 

"  During  the  three  days  of  the  fight,  as  you 
would  expect,  there  was  much  excitement  in 
Amoy.  The  tops  of  the  houses  and  the  hills 
around  about,  at  the  time  of  the  engagement,  were 
thronged  with  people,  and  there  was  a  continual 
discharge  of  cannon.  But  I  have  not  given  the 
number  of  the  killed  and  wounded  in  the  three 
days'  naval  action.  Reports,  you  know,  are  often 
much  exaggerated  on  such  occasions.  According 
to  the  most  reliable  statements  (and  I  have  not  yet 
heard  of  any  other  statement),  the  list  stands 
thus: 


The  '^Little  Knife''''  Insurrection,    143 

"  Killed— None  ! 
"  Wounded — None  ! 
"  Prisoners — None  ! 

"  It  is  said  that  one  ball  from  a  Mandarin  junk 
did  strike  a  rebel  junk,  but  did  not  hurt  any  one. 
During  the  fighting  the  vessels  kept  so  far  apart  that 
the  balls  almost  always  fell  into  the  water  between 
them.  On  the  second  day  of  the  fight,  a  boat  from 
the  city  in  which  were  three  men,  who  were  not  en- 
gaged in  the  fight,  was  captured  by  the  Mandarin 
fleet,  and  the  three  men  were  beheaded.  War  is 
too  serious  a  matter  to  be  laughed  at,  but  the  kind 
of  war  we  have  thus  far  seen  at  Amoy  is  only  like 
children's  play." 

Nov.  I,  1853.     To  his  brother,  Daniel. 

"  Our  war  still  continues,  fighting  almost  every 
day.  The  day  I  sent  off  my  last  package  to  you, 
two  more  balls  struck  our  house.  One  came 
through  the  roof  of  an  unoccupied  part  of  the  prem- 
ises. I  did  not  weigh  it,  but  suppose  it  was  about  a 
six-pounder.  The  other  struck  against  a  pillar  in 
the  outside  wall  and  fell  down  and  was  picked  up 
by  some  one  outside  of  the  house,  so  that  I  do  not 
know  the  size  of  it.  It  was  a  merciful  Providence 
that  it  struck  the  pillar.  If  it  had  struck  on  either 
side  of  the  pillar,  it  would  have  come  into  a  room 
in  which  many  Chinese  were  collected.     On  Sunday 


144     ^'^'^  ''Little  Knife''  hisurrectton. 


last  there  was  much  fighting  again.  A  small  ball 
came  into  our  veranda.  A  small  ball  entered  Mr, 
Doty's  house,  one  entered  Mr.  Alexander  Stro- 
nach's  house,  several  entered  Dr.  Hirschberg's 
house  ;  other  houses  also  were  struck.  Dr.  Hirsch- 
berg's house  has  been  the  most  exposed.  We  have 
all  been  preserved  from  harm  thus  far.  He,  who  has 
thus  far  preserved  us,  I  trust  will  continue  to  pre- 
serve us.  The  fighting  is  more  serious  than  at  first. 
A  little  more  courage  is  manifested  and  more 
execution  is  done.  But  I  do  not  see  any  prospect 
of  either  party  being  victorious.  The  party  whose 
funds  are  completely  used  up  first,  will  doubtless 
have  to  yield  to  the  other.  I  cannot  tell  which 
that  will  be,  I  shall  be  heartily  glad  when  one  of 
the  armies  withdraws  from  Amoy.  The  country 
around  Amoy  is  becoming  desolated.  Houses  and 
whole  villages  are  plundered  and  burned.  In 
Amoy  suffering  abounds,  and  I  suppose  is  increas- 
ing. When  I  go  out  into  the  street  I  usually  put 
a  handful  of  cash  into  my  pocket  to  distribute  to 
the  beggars." 

In  November,  1853,  Imperial  authority  asserted 
itself. 

"The  Imperial  forces  having  collected  from  the 
neighboring  garrisons,  appeared  in  such  over- 
whelming strength  that  the  insurgents  hastily  put 


The  ''Little  Knife'''  Insurj-ection.    145 

off  to  sea.  Many  succeeded  in  escaping  to  For- 
mosa and  Singapore.  The  leader  was  accidentally 
shot  off  Macao.  The  restoration  of  Imperial 
authority  was  followed,  however,  by  terrible  scenes 
of  official  cruelty  and  bloodthirstiness.  The  guilty 
had  escaped,  but  the  Emperor  Hienfung's  officials 
wreaked  their  rage  on  the  helpless  and  unoffending 
townspeople.  Hundreds  of  both  sexes  were  slain 
in  cold  blood,  and  on  more  than  one  occasion 
English  officers  and  seamen  interfered  to  protect 
the  weak  and  to  arrest  the  progress  of  an  undiscrim- 
inating  and  insensate  massacre." 


THE    BLOSSOMING   DESERT. 


(147) 


VII. 
THE   BLOSSOMING   DESERT. 

"  In  tropical  lands,  when  the  rain  comes,  what 
was  barren  baked  earth,  in  a  day  or  two  is  rich 
meadow,  all  ablaze  with  flowers,  and  the  dry  torrent 
beds,  where  the  stones  lay  white  and  glistening 
ghastly  in  the  hot  sunshine,  are  foaming  with  rush- 
ing streams  and  fringed  with  budding  oleanders." 
Such  a  spiritual  transformation  it  was  the  glad 
privilege  of  our  missionaries  to  witness  in  the  region 
of  Amoy  during  the  years  1854  and  1855.  Until 
then,  to  the  eye  of  man  only  an  occasional  seed  had 
burst  its  way  through  the  stone-crusted  earth  and 
given  a  shadow  of  harvest-hope.  The  first  four 
years  of  prayer  and  testimony  from  1842-1846  were 
definitely  and  visibly  rewarded  with  only  two  con- 
verts. _ 

When  Mr.  Talmage  arrived  at  Amoy  in  1847  the 
total  church  membership  was  three.  By  1850  it 
had  grown  to  five.  By  the  end  of  1851  the  seed 
had  brought  forth  nearly  fourfold.  There  were 
nineteen    converts.      This    was    the    harbinger   of 

(M9) 


150  The  Blossoming  Desert. 

brighter  days.  Even  during  the  troublous  times 
of  1853  signs  of  awakening  appeared.  In  the  midst 
of  war  and  rumors  of  war  the  native  brethren  had 
proposed  to  enter  the  ''  regions  beyond  "  Chiang- 
chiu  and  Chinchew.  The  faithful  preaching  of 
Doty  and  Talmage  in  the  chapels  and  on  the 
streets  of  Amoy  city,  among  the  towns  and  villages 
of  Amoy  Island  and  the  mainland  ;  the  apostolic 
labors  of  William  Burns,  whose  joy  it  was  to  sow 
beside  all  waters, —  tJicse  had  found  acceptance  with 
God  and  with  the  people.  Inquirers  multiplied  at 
the  chapels.  They  came  from  among  the  shop- 
keepers and  boatmen  of  Amoy,  from  cities  and 
towns  along  the  arms  of  the  sea  and  up  the  inland 
rivers,  from  remote  country  hamlets  beyond  the 
mountains. 

Mr.  Talmage's  letters  during  1854  and  1855  tell 
of  the  great  awakening. 

"  This  year  (1854),  thus  far,  has  been  one  of  un- 
usual blessing,  a  year  '  of  the  right  hand  of  the 
Most  High.'  Early  in  January,  knowing  that  there 
were  a  few  individuals  desirous  of  receiving  Chris- 
tian baptism,  we  appointed  a  meeting  for  the  ex- 
amination of  such,  and  also  for  personal  conversa- 
tion with  all  others  who  might  feel  an  especial  in- 
terest in  Christianity.  We  were  agreeably  surprised 
to   find   the  number  of   inquirers   and  candidates 


The  Blossoming  Desci^t.  151 

for  baptism  much  greater  than  we  had  supposed. 
We  also  found  among  the  inquirers  an  unusual 
tenderness  of  conscience,  and  sense  of  sinfulness, 
and  anxiety  for  the  salvation  of  the  soul.  Seeing 
such  evidence  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  shedding 
abroad  His  quickening  influences  among  this  peo- 
ple, we  appointed  a  similar  interview  for  the  week 
following. 

"These  meetings  for  the  examination  and  in- 
struction of  inquirers  we  have  continued  almost 
every  week,  and  occasionally  twice  a  week,  till  the 
present  time.  Sometimes  the  inquirers  present 
have  numbered  thirty  or  forty,  perhaps  more.  At 
times,  moreover,  the  depth  of  feeling  manifested 
has  been  such  that  the  eyes  of  every  one  present 
have  been  suffused  with  tears.  These  meetings, 
we  trust,  have  been  very  profitable,  as  well  as 
interesting." 

"  On  Sabbath,  March  26th,  we  were  permitted  to 
receive  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Christian  Church 
ten  individuals,  eight  men  and  two  women,  the 
eldest  a  widow  woman  aged  sixty-eight,  the  young- 
est a  young  man  aged  twenty." 

"  On  the  last  Sabbath  in  May,  we  again  received 
nine  persons,  six  men  and  three  women,  the  eldest 
an  old  man  aged  seventy-four,  the  youngest  a 
young  man  aged  twenty-three." 


152  The  Blossoming  Desert. 

"On  the  thirtieth  of  July  (Sabbath),  we  again 
baptized  nine  others,  four  men  and  five  women,  the 
eldest  a  widow  aged  fifty-one,  the  youngest  a  girl 
aged  sixteen.  Thus  the  whole  number  of  adults 
baptized  by  us  at  Amoy  during  the  present  year, 
thus  far,  is  twenty-eight." 

He  cites  individual  cases.  Speaking  of  an  aged 
widow  he  says : 

"  She  lives  at  a  village  some  fifteen  miles  or  more 
from  Amoy.  Boats  coming  from  that  place  to  this 
place  land  at  a  wharf  near  my  house.  On  one  oc- 
casion, when  she  arrived  here  a  few  months  ago, 
she  resolved  to  come  to  my  house,  and  see  how  the 
foreigners  lived.  On  entering,  she  was  met  by  the 
Christian  who  has  charge  of  the  chapel.  He  asked 
her  business.  She  said  that  she  only  came  for 
amusement.  He  replied,  'This  is  not  a  place  to 
visit  for  amusement,  but  to  hear  the  doctrine.' 
'  Well,'  says  she,  '  then  I  will  hear  the  doctrine.' 
He  explained  to  her  something  of  the  truths  of 
Christianity.  He  told  her  also  that  after  breakfast 
I  should;  be  in  the  chapel  for  morning  worship. 
She  went  back  to  the  neighbor's  house  whence  she 
had  come,  to  wait  until  after  breakfast.  But  the 
new  doctrine  which  she  had  heard,  took  so  deep  a 
hold  on  her  mind,  that  she  desired  no  breakfast  for 
herself.     Soon   she  again  came  to  hear  more.     She 


The  Blossoming  Desei^t.  153 

was  deeply  impressed  with  the  truth  and  import- 
ance of  the  things  which  she  heard.  She  reasoned 
with  herself  thus:  'The  myriads  of  people  I  meet 
with  do  not  know  what  is  in  my  heart,  but  these 
people  tell  me  what  is  in  my  heart  and  in  my  bones. 
This  doctrine  cannot  be  of  man.  It  must  be  the 
great  power  of  God.'  She  was  poor  and  lived 
at  a  distance  from  Amoy.  She  learned  that  the 
Christian  who  had  charge  of  the  chapel  was  of  the 
same  surname  with  herself.  She  inquired  whether 
she  might  not  come  down  next  Saturday,  and  lodge 
with  his  family.  She  said  she  would  bring  with 
her  some  dried  potatoes  for  her  food.  Of  course 
her  request  was  readily  granted.  From  that  time 
to  the  present,  she  has  come  the  whole  distance 
from  her  village  to  Amoy  almost  every  week,  in 
order  to  hear  the  Gospel.  She  has  two  sons  and 
one  daughter.  She  has  brought  both  her  sons  with 
her,  desiring  that  they  also  may  become  Christians. 
The  eldest,  aged  seventeen,  is  among  our  inquirers. 
She  has  also  brought  some  of  her  neighbors  with 
her  to  hear  the  Word.  She  has  met  with  much 
opposition  and  persecution  ;  but  so  far  as  we  can 
learn,  she  has  borne  all  with  the  meekness  of  a  true 
disciple  of  Christ.  Since  her  baptism,  she  has 
rented  a  room  in  Amoy,  that  she  may  live  within 
sound  of  the  Gospel.     When  she  told  me  of  this, 


154  1^^^^  Blossoming  Desert. 

I  asked  her  how  she  expected  to  maintain  herself, 
and  whether  she  thought  she  should  be  able  to  earn 
a  living  at  Amoy,  She  replied  that  she  trusted  in 
God.  If  she  could  not  get  as  good  food  as  others, 
she  would  eat  coarser  food. 

"  There  is  still  a  goodly  number  of  inquirers  at 
Amoy.  In  our  meeting  for  conversation  with  them 
to-day,  we  met  with  two  very  affecting  cases. 
They  are  lads,  the  elder  being  in  his  seventeenth 
year,  and  the  younger  in  his  thirteenth.  Their 
parents  and  friends  bitterly  oppose  them  in  their 
determination  to  follow  Christ. 

"  They  have  been  severely  beaten.  The  elder  was 
severely  scourged  yesterday.  This  morning  he  was 
again  tied  up  in  a  very  painful  manner,  and  beaten 
by  his  cruel  father.  He  carried  the  marks  of  his 
sufferings  on  his  arms,  which  we  saw.  We  were 
told  that  he  had  scars  also  on  other  parts  of  his 
body.  We  trust  that  they  are  *  the  marks  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.'  A  brother,  still  younger  than  them- 
selves, we  arc  told,  also  worships  Jesus.  If  they 
are,  indeed,  lambs  of  Christ's  flock,  the  blessed 
Saviour  will  take  care  of  them ;  but  their  severe 
afflictions  should  call  forth  much  sympathy  and 
prayer  in  their  behalf. 

"  The  conduct  of  our  church  members  continues 
to  give  us  much  comfort.     They  are  not  free  from 


The  Blosso77ting  Desert.  155 

faults.  They  need  much  careful  oversight  and  ex- 
hortation and  instruction.  In  consequence  of  this, 
our  cares,  anxieties,  and  labors  must  necessarily  in- 
crease as  the  converts  increase.  But  if  allowance 
be  made  for  their  limited  knowledge,  only  a  short 
time  having  elapsed  since  the  most  of  them  first 
heard  the  Gospel,  there  are  probably  but  few 
churches,  even  in  our  own  beloved  country,  com- 
pared with  which  the  Christian  character  of  this 
little  flock  would  suffer.  Were  it  not  for  the  Chris- 
tian activity  of  our  members,  so  many  of  them 
abounding  in  good  works,  our  operations  here 
would  necessarily  be  confined  within  much  nar- 
rower limits.  Almost  every  one  seems  to  be  im- 
pressed with  the  truth,  that  he  or  she  is  to  improve 
every  opportunity  to  speak  a  word  for  Christ. 
Many  of  them  are  quite  effective  speakers.  The 
heathen  are  often  astonished  to  hear  men  from 
the  lower  walks  of  life,  who  previously  had  not 
had  the  benefit  of  any  education,  and  are  yet 
perhaps  unable  to  read,  speak  with  such  fluency, 
and  reason  with  such  power  concerning  the  things 
of  God,  as  to  silence  all  their  adversaries,  even 
though  they  be  men  of  education." 

Speaking  of  the  awakening  at  Peh-chui-ia,  a 
market-town  once  under  our  care,  nov/  under  the  care 
of  the  English  Presbyterians,  Mr.  Talmage  continues: 


156  The  Blossoming  Desert. 

"  We  have  been  specially  interested  in  their 
lively  faith,  their  praying  spirit,  their  earnestness 
in  the  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and,  as  a 
consequence  of  all  this,  their  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

"  The  house  first  rented  was  found  too  small 
and  uncomfortable  for  our  work.  The  adjoining 
house,  of  about  the  same  size,  and  the  upper  part 
of  the  next  house,  have  since  been  rented,  and  doors 
opened  through  the  walls.  Thus  we  have  several 
rooms  for  lodging  and  conversation,  and  also  for 
holding  more  private  meetings  than  we  could  in 
the  chapel.  The  members  and  inquirers  spend  the 
greater  part  of  the  Sabbath  at  the  mission  premises 
stud3'ing  the  Scriptures,  listening  to  the  preaching 
of  the  Word,  and  in  religious  conversation  and 
prayer.  They  go  home  only  for  their  meals,  and 
some  not  even  for  that.  A  part  of  them  spend 
much  of  their  time  there  in  similar  employments 
on  other  days  of  the  week.  When  we  have  been 
with  them,  we  have  been  much  gratified  by  seeing 
their  earnestness  in  the  study  of  the  Scriptures. 
They  are  continually  coming  to  us  for  explanation 
of  passages  which  they  cannot  understand.  Often 
the  voice  of  prayer  v;ill  be  heard  from  all  parts  of 
the  house  at  once.  They  are  but  babes  in  Christ  ; 
yet  their  knowledge  of   the  Scriptures  is  remark- 


The  Blossoming  Desert.  157 

able.  We  feel  it  good  for  our  own  souls  to  be 
among  them." 

This  market-town  owed  much  to  the  earnest 
labors  of  Rev.  W.  C.  Burns,  whose  words  and 
manner  of  life  are  still  a  fragrant  memory  among 
the  brethren  there.  He  was  the  first  English 
Presbyterian  missionary  to  China.  He  arrived  in 
1847.  1^0^  the  first  four  years  he  carried  on  evan- 
gelistic work  at  Hongkong  and  Canton.  He  came 
to  Amoy  in  185 1. 

Mr.  Talmage  alludes  to  a  family  at  Peh-chui-ia 
who  had  endured  much  for  Christ's  sake. 

"This  family  have  been  twice  plundered.  Once 
their  house  was  set  on  fire  by  a  band  of  robbers, 
and  everything  was  destroyed,  themselves  only 
escaping  with  their  lives  by  a  remarkable  provi- 
dence." (So  intense  is  the  hatred  of  some  of  the 
of^cials  against  Christianity  that  bold  robberies 
will  take  place  with  their  connivance,  sometimes  at 
their  instigation.)  "  These  afflictions  seem  to  have 
been  employed  by  the  Spirit  of  God  in  preparing 
their  hearts  for  the  reception  of  the  Gospel.  On  the 
first  announcement  of  the  Word,  they  were  deeply 
impressed  with  its  truth.  The  father,  however, 
had  a  hard  struggle ;  and  the  opposition  from  his 
neighbors  was  too  m.uch  for  him  at  the  first.  At 
one  time,  he  resolved  to  run  away  from  the  place 


158  The  Blossoming  Desert. 

altogether.  At  another  time  he  meditated  drown- 
ing himself.  While  in  this  state  of  mind,  he  derived 
much  benefit  from  the  counsel  and  earnest  en- 
treaties of  his  wife.  She  exhorted  and  besought 
him  to  exhibit  the  meekness  and  endurance  taught 
by  the  meek  and  suffering  Saviour.  He  who  never 
suffers  His  people  to  be  tempted  above  that  they 
are  able  to  bear,  at  length  raised  him  above  the 
fear  of  man,  and  established  his  goings.  On  one 
occasion,  when  we  were  conversing  with  him,  it 
was  suggested  that  he  might  again  be  robbed.  He 
replied  that  he  did  not  believe  he  should  be,  for  he 
now  trusted  in  God.  We  suggested,  '  Perhaps  the 
very  fact  that  you  have  turned  from  idols  to  the 
service  of  the  true  God,  may  lead  the  enemies  of 
the  Gospel  to  band  together  and  plunder  you.' 
He  answered,  '  I  do  not  believe  that  they  will. 
They  will  not,  except  it  be  the  will  of  God.  If  it 
be  His  will,  I  also  am  willing.'  On  one  occasion  it 
was  suggested  that  he  might  even  be  brought 
before  magistrates  because  of  the  Gospel.  He 
answered  that  he  had  no  anxiety  on  that  subject. 
When  the  time  came  the  Holy  Ghost  would 
teach  him  what  to  speak.  He  has  since  had  his 
faith  put  to  the  test,  but  his  confidence  was  not 
disappointed.  The  enemies  of  the  Gospel  banded 
together  to  demand  of  him  money  as  his  share  of 


The  Blossoming  Desert.  159 

the  expenses  of  some  idolatrous  celebration,  resolv- 
ing, if  he  refused  to  pay  the  money,  to  plunder  his 
establishment.  A  crowd  collected  at  his  door  to 
carry  the  resolution  into  effect.  They  made  their 
demand  for  the  money.  But  he  was  enabled  to 
speak  to  them  with  such  power  that  they  trembled 
in  his  presence,  it  is  said,  and  were  glad  to  leave 
him  alone." 

Mr.  Talmage  writes  of  the  great  change  in  a  man 
notoriously  wicked,  who  at  fifty-one  years  of  age 
yielded  to  Christ. 

"  For  thirty-one  years  he  was  addicted  to  the 
smoking  of  opium.  When  the  brethren  first  saw 
him,  he  seemed  just  ready  to  fall  into  the  grave.  He 
also  had  a  bad  reputation  throughout  the  town, 
being  accustomed  to  meddling  with  other  people's 
business.  He  was  a  man  of  good  natural  abilities, 
and  the  people  feared  him.  He  has  given  up  his 
opium  and  his  other  vile  practices.  His  whole 
character  seems  to  have  undergone  a  change.  He 
also  has  been  called,  as  have  all  the  others  in  that 
town,  to  experience  persecution.  His  enemies  are 
those  of  his  own  house.  His  opium-smoking,  and 
all  his  other  wickedness,  they  could  endure ;  but 
they  cannot  endure  his  Christianity,  his  temper- 
ance, his  meek  and  quiet  spirit.  One  of  my  visits 
to  Peh-chui-ia  was  on  the  day  after  his  friends  had 


i6o  Ike  Blossoming  Desert. 


been  manifesting  especial  opposition  to  him.  I 
found  him  greatly  rejoicing  that  he  had  been  called 
to  suffer  persecution  for  Christ's  sake,  and  that  he 
had  been  enabled  to  bear  it  so  meekly.  He  said 
the  Holy  Scriptures  had  been  verified,  referring  to 
Matthew  v.  ii,  12.  He  said  that  he  had  been  en- 
abled to  preach  the  Gospel  to  those  who  had  met 
to  oppose  him  for  two  hours,  until  his  voice  failed 
him.  He  was  still  quite  hoarse  from  his  much 
speaking.  He  had  told  them  of  the  change  which 
he  had  experienced  through  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  on  his  heart ;  but  he  also  said  he  knew  they 
could  not  understand  his  meaning,  when  he  spoke 
of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  heart.  If 
they  would  worship  Jesus,  however,  and  pray  to 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  change  their  hearts,  as  his  had 
been  changed,  then  they  would  understand  him." 

SI-BOO'S   ZEAL. 

An  interesting  case  narrated  in  the  life  of  W.  C. 
Burns  is  that  of  Si-boo,  who  afterwards  went  as  an 
evangelist  among  his  own  countrymen  at  Singa- 
pore. 

"On  Mr.  Burns'  first  visit  to  Pechuia,  he  found 
amongst  the  foremost  and  most  interesting  of  his 
hearers,  a  youth  of  about  eighteen  or  twenty,  called 
Si-boo. 


The  Blossoming  Desert.  i6i 

"  Of  stature  rather  iindcr  the  average  of  his 
countrymen,  with  an  eye  and  countenance  more 
open  than  usual,  and  a  free  and  confiding  manner, 
he  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  missionary. 
His  position  in  hfe  was  above  the  class  of  common 
mechanics,  and  his  education  rather  good  for  his 
position.  His  occupation  was  to  carve  small  idols 
in  wood  for  the  houses  of  his  idolatrous  country- 
men, of  every  variety  of  style  and  workmanship, 
some  plain  and  cheap,  and  some  of  the  most  elab- 
orate and  costly  description.  Had  Si-boo  been  of 
the  spirit  of  Demetrius,  he  would  have  opposed 
and  persecuted  Pvlr.  Burns  for  bringing  his  craft 
into  danger.  But  instead  of  that,  he  manifested  a 
spirit  of  earnest,  truthful  inquiry,  although  that  in- 
quiry was  one  in  wdiich  all  the  prepossessions, 
and  prejudices,  and  passions  of  mind  and  heart 
were  against  the  truth — an  inquiry  in  which  all  the 
influence  of  friends,  and  all  his  prospects  in  life, 
were  cast  into  the  wrong  balance.  By  the  grace  of 
God  he  made  that  solemn  inquiry  with  such  sim- 
plicity and  sincerity,  that  it  soon  led  to  an  entire 
conviction  of  the  truth  of  our  religion,  and  that  to 
a  decided  profession  of  faith  at  all  hazards ;  and 
these  hazards,  in  such  a  place  as  Pechuia,  were 
neither  few  nor  small — far  greater  than  at  Amoy, 
where  the  presence  of  a  large  body  of  converts,  and 


1 62  The  Blossoming  Desert. 

a  considerable  English  community,  and  a  British 
flag,  might  seem  to  hold  out  a  prospect  of  both 
protection  and  support  in  time  of  need,  though 
such  protection  and  temporal  aid  have  never  been 
relied  on  by  even  our  Amoy  converts,  still  less  en- 
couraged. 

"One  of  the  first  sacrifices  to  which  Si-boo  was 
called  was  a  great  one.  His  trade  of  idol-carver 
must  be  given  up,  and  with  that  his  only  means  of 
support ;  and  that  means  both  respectable  and 
lucrative  to  a  skillful  hand  like  his.  But  to  his 
credit  he  did  not  hesitate.  He  at  once  threw  it  up 
and  cast  himself  on  the  providence  of  God,  and 
neither  asked  nor  received  any  assistance  from  the 
missionary,  but  at  once  set  himself  to  turn  his  skill 
as  a  carver  in  a  new  and  legitimate  direction.  He 
became  a  carver  of  beads  for  bracelets  and  other 
ornaments,  and  was  soon  able  to  support  himself 
and  assist  his  mother  in  this  way.  One  advantage 
of  this  new  trade  was,  that  it  was  portable.  With 
a  few  small  knives,  and  a  handful  of  olive-stones, 
he  could  prosecute  his  work  wherever  he  liked  to 
take  his  seat,  and  he  frequently  took  advantage  of 
this  to  prosecute  his  Master's  Vv^ork,  while  he  was 
diligent  in  his  own.  Sometimes  he  would  take  his 
seat  on  the  '  Gospel  Boat  '  when  away  on  some 
evangelistic   enterprise  ;    and  while  we  were  slowly 


The  Blossoming  Desert.  163 

rowing  up  some  river  or  creek,  or  scudding  away 
before  a  favorable  wind  to  some  distant  port,  Si- 
boo  would  be  busy  at  work  on  his  beads  ;  but  as 
soon  as  we  reached  our  destination,  the  beads  and 
tools  were  thrust  into  his  pouch,  and  with  his  Bible 
and  a  few  tracts  in  his  hand,  he  was  off  to  read  or 
talk  to  the  people,  and  leave  his  silent  messengers 
behind  him." 

During  the  same  year  (1854),  Mr.  Doty  wrote  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Burns  while  in  Scotland,  in  regard  to 
the  awakening  at  Chioh-be,  a  large  town  of  30,000 
inhabitants,  eight  miles  northwest  of  Peh-chui-ia. 
An  extract  reads  as  follows : 

"  But  what  shall  I  tell  you  of  the  Lord's  visita- 
tion of  mercy  at  Chioh-be  ?  Again,  truly,  are  we 
as  those  that  dream.  The  general  features  of  the 
work  are  very  similar  to  what  you  witnessed  at 
Pechui-ia.  The  instrumentality  has  been  native 
brethren  almost  entirely.  Attention  was  first 
awakened  in  one  or  two  by  I-ju  and  Tick-jam,  who 
went  to  Chioh-be  together. 

"  This  was  two  or  three  months  ago.  This  was 
followed  up  by  repeated  visits  of  other  brethren 
from  Pechui-ia  and  Amoy.  Shortly  the  desire  to 
hear  the  Word  was  so  intense,  that  there  would  be 
scarcely  any  stop  day  or  night ;  the  brethren  in 
turns  going,  and  breaking  down  from  much  speak- 


164  The  Blossoming  Desert. 

ing  in  the  course  of  three  or  four  days,  and  coming 
back  to  us  almost  voiceless." 

AN   APPEAL   FOR   A   MISSIONARY. 

On  the  30th  of  August,  1854,  Mr.  Talmage 
wrote,  enclosing  the  subjoined  appeal  of  the  church 
at  Peh-chui-ia  for  a  missionary.  It  is  addressed  to 
the  American  Board,  which  these  brethren  call 
"the  Public  Society."  A  duplicate  letter  was  sent 
at  the  same  time  to  Mr.  Burns  to  be  presented 
to  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  English 
Presbyterian  Church.  "  They  tell  us,"  says  Mr. 
Talmage,  "  that  every  sentence  has  been  prayed 
over.  According  to  their  own  statement,  they 
would  write  a  sentence,  and  then  pray,  and  then 
write  another  sentence,  and  then  pray  again." 

"  By  the  mercy  and  grace  of  God,  called  to  be 
little  children  of  the  Saviour  Jesus,  we  send  this 
letter  to  the  Public  Society,  desiring  that  God  our 
Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  may  bestow 
grace  and  peace  on  all  the  saints  connected  with 
the  Public  Society.  We  desire  you  to  know  the 
boundless  grace  and  favor  of  God  towards  us,  and 
in  behalf  of  us,  little  children,  heartily  to  thank 
God  because  that  the  announcement  of  God's  grace 
has  been  conveyed  by  your  nation  to  our  nation, 
and  to  our  province,   even  to  Amoy,  and  to  our 


The  Blossoming  Desert.  165 

market-town  Peh-chui-ia.  We  desire  the  Public 
Society  to  be  thoroughly  informed,  so  that  they 
may  very  heartily  thank  God  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  for  we  at  Peh-chui  ia  originally  dwelt  in 
the  region  of  death  and  gloomy  darkness,  a  place 
under  the  curse  of  God,  and  were  exposed  to  God's 
righteous  punishment.  But  many  thanks  to  God's 
compassion  and  mercy,  the  Holy  Spirit  influenced 
the  pastors  of  your  nation  to  send  holy  brethren 
(Amoy  native  Christians),  in  company  with  the 
English  pastor,  the  teacher,  William  Burns,  unto 
our  market-town,  to  unfold  the  holy  announcement 
of  grace,  and  preach  the  Gospel.  Many  thanks  to 
God,  whose  grace  called  several  brethren,  by  day 
and  by  night,  to  listen  to  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel,  for  the  space  of  four  months.  Many 
thanks  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  opened  our  dark- 
ened hearts,  and  led  us  unto  the  Saviour  Jesus, 
whose  precious  blood  delivers  from  sin.  By  the 
grace  of  God  five  persons  were  received  into  the 
Church  and  baptized.  Again,  two  months  after- 
wards four  persons  were  received  into  the  Church 
and  baptized.  There  are  still  some  ten  persons 
and  more,  from  different  quarters,  not  yet  baptized, 
who  have  been  operated  on,  so  that  they  listen  to 
the  preaching  with  gladness  of  heart. 

"  By  the  will  of   God,    the    English  pastor  has 


1 66  The  Blossoming  Desert. 

been  called  to  return  to  his  own  nation.  Our 
place  is  distant  from  Amoy  by  water,  several  tens 
of  '  lis,'  "^  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  come  and  go.  The 
two  pastors  of  your  nation  at  Amoy  (Messrs.  Doty 
and  Talmage)  have  not  a  moment  to  spare  from 
labor,  for  the  holy  brethren  there  are  many  ;  and  it 
is  difficult  for  them  to  leave  home. 

"  We,  the  brethren  of  the  church  at  our  market- 
town,  with  united  heart  pray,  earnestly  beseeching 
God  again  graciously  to  compassionate  us,  and 
send  a  pastor  from  the  Public  Society  of  your 
nation,  that  he  may  quickly  come,  and  instruct  us 
plainly  in  the  Gospel. 

"  It  is  to  be  deplored — the  brethren  having 
heard  the  teacher  William  Burns  preach  the  Word 
for  a  few  months,  their  spiritual  nature  only  just 
born  again,  not  yet  having  obtained  firmness  in  the 
faith,  that  just  at  this  time,  in  the  seventh  month, 
the  pastor  should  be  separated  from  us. 

"  Day  and  night  our  tears  flow  ;  and  with  united 
heart  we  pray,  earnestly  beseeching  God  graciously 
to  grant  that  of  the  disciples  of  the  Lord  Jesus  a 
pastor  hastily  come,  and  preach  to  us  the  Gospel, 
this  food  of  grace  with  its  savoriness  of  grace,  in 
order  to  strengthen  the  faith  of  us,  little  children. 
Moreover,  we  pray  God  to  influence  the  saints  of 
*  One  li  is  about  one-third  of  a  mile. 


The  Blossoming  Desert.  \6y 


your  nation  that  they  may  always  keep  us  little 
children  in  remembrance.  Therefore,  on  the  28th 
day  of  the  seventh  month  (August  21,  1854)  the 
brethren  with  united  heart  have  prayed  earnestly 
beseeching  God  that  this  our  general  letter  may  be 
conveyed  to  the  great  Public  Society,  that  you  may 
certainly  know  these  our  affairs,  and  pray  God, 
in  behalf  of  us,  that  this  our  request  may  be 
granted.  Please  give  our  salutation  to  the  breth- 
ren. 

kong-biau, 

Tek-iam, 

Tek-lian, 

U-ju, 

Sl-BU, 

JiT-SOM, 

Kl-AN, 

Lam-San, 

KiM-KOA, 
"  T/ic  disciples  of  Jesus  at  PcJi-cJnii-ia. 

"  Presented  to  the  Public  Society  that  all  the 
disciples  may  read  it." 

Mr.  Talmage  concludes  a  letter  speaking  of  the 
"  times  of  refreshing"  in  these  words: 

"  This  remarkable  work  may  well  fill  our  hearts 
with  gratitude  and  encouragement.  Heretofore, 
we  have  always  been   obliged   to  wait  a  long  time 


1 68  The  Blosscmzng  Desert. 

before  we  were  permitted  to  see  much  fruit  of  our 
labor;  and  we  were  almost  led  to  the  conclusion 
that  such  must  always  be  the  case,  in  carrying  the 
Gospel  to  a  heathen  people.  Now  we  see  that  such 
need  not  be  the  course  of  events.  We  should 
preach  the  Gospel  with  larger  expectations,  and  in 
the  hope  of  more  immediate  fruit.  He  who  com- 
manded the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  can 
shine  into  the  darkest  minds,  '  to  give  the  light  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of 
Christ  Jesus  '  on  the  first  announcement  of  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  When  the  proper  time 
comes,  and  His  Church  is  made  ready  for  the  great 
accession,  it  will  be  an  easy  thing  for  Him  to  ac- 
complish the  expectation  that  a  nation  shall  be 
born  at  once." 


CHURCH    UNION. 


(169) 


VIII. 

CHURCH    UNION. 

Missionary  work  in  its  initial  stage  has  only  to 
do  with  first  principles. 

Given  shelter,  food,  power  of  utterance  in  a 
foreign  tongue,  a  preaching  spot,  a  company  of 
hearers,  and  you  have  bounded  the  horizon  for  the 
present. 

No  sooner,  however,  is  a  goodly  company  of 
believers  gathered,  but  problems,  numerous  and 
weighty,  confront  the  missionary. 

How  shall  the  company  of  believers  be  organized 
and  governed  ?  Shall  it  be  exactly  on  the  model 
of  the  church  which  the  missionary  represents?  If 
not,  what  modifications  shall  be  made?  Shall  the 
seedling  ten  thousand  miles  away  be  roped  to  the 
mother  tree  or  shall  it  be  encouraged  to  stand 
alone?  What  advantages  in  independence?  What 
perils?  What  shall  be  the  status  of  the  foreign 
missionary  before  the  native  church  just  organ- 
izing?    What  relation  shall  he  sustain  to  the  home 

church? 

(171) 


172  Church   Union. 

The  answers  to  these  questions  have  been  as 
various  as  the  denominations  represented  in  Ori- 
ental lands.  The  answers  of  missionaries  repre- 
senting the  same  denomination  have  not  even 
tallied. 

After  the  gracious  awakening  and  ingathering  at 
Amoy  and  in  the  region  about,  had  taken  place, 
the  question  of  church  organization  became  fore- 
most. The  missionaries  gave  the  subject  earnest 
thought.  Men  like  Elihu  Doty  and  John  Van 
Nest  Talmage  and  Carstairs  Douglas,  were  not 
likely  to  come  to  conclusions  hastily. 

But  they  were  born  pioneers.  Conservative 
enough  never  to  lose  their  equilibrium,  they  had 
adaptability  to  new  circumstances. 

Quite  willing  to  follow  the  beaten  path  so  long 
as  there  was  promise  of  harvest  returns,  they  were 
prepared  nevertheless  to  blaze  a  new  road  into  the 
trackless  forest  if  they  were  sure  some  of  God's 
treasure-trove  could  be  brought  back  on  it.  There 
was  no  divergence  of  view  as  to  what  the  founda- 
tion of  the  new  church-structure  must  be.  '  For 
other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  which 
is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ.'  So  long,  however, 
as  the  general  proportions  were  the  same,  there 
was  no  fear  that  the  new  edifice  would  topple  over 
if  it  did  not  conform  exactly  in  height  and  length 


Church    Unioji.  173 

and  breadth,  in  column  and  pilaster  and  facade,  to 
the  venerated  model  in  the  mother  countries. 
The  brethren  expressed  their  views  to  the  churches 
in  the  home-land.  They  did  more.  They  plead 
their  cause  and  hoped  for  endorsement.  The  fol- 
lowing is  part  of  a  lengthy  but  very  interesting 
communication  written  by  Mr.  Talmage  and  sent 
to  the  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  1856: 
"  Amoy,  China,  Sept.  17,  1856. 
"  To  the  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Protestant 
Dutch  Church. 
"Fathers  and  Brethren:  We  your  mission- 
aries at  Amoy,  China,  have,  by  the  blessing  of  the 
Head  of  the  Church  on  our  labors,  arrived  at  a 
stage  of  progress  in  our  work  which  imposes  on  us 
weighty  responsibilities,  and  we  feel  the  need  of 
counsel  and  advice.  It  will  be  proper  for  us  to 
give  a  brief  account  of  our  Mission,  of  our  work, 
of  the  blessing  of  God  on  our  labors,  of  our  pecul- 
iar circumstances,  and  of  the  principles  on  which 
we  have  acted  hitherto,  and  which  we  think  should 
still  guide  us  in  our  efforts  to  establish  the  King- 
dom of  Christ  in  this  land,  that  you  may  praise 
God  in  our  behalf  and  in  behalf  of  this  people, 
and  assist  us  by  your  sympathies,  prayers,  and 
counsels.  Our  Mission  was  commenced  at  Amoy 
by  the  late  Rev.  David  Abeel,  D.D.     Mr.  Abeel 


1 74  Church   Union. 

arrived  at  Amoy  in  company  with  the  Rev.  (now 
Bishop)  Boone,  on  the  24th  of  February,  1842. 
On  the  22d  of  June,  1844,  Rev.  E.  Doty  and  Rev. 
Wm.  J.  Pohlman  arrived  at  Amoy  from  Borneo. 
In  Dec.,  1844,  Mr.  Abeel  in  consequence  of  con- 
tinued and  increasing  ill  health  left  Amoy  on  his 
return  to  the  United  States.  Mrs.  Pohlman  and 
Mrs.  Doty  having  been  removed  by  death,  Mr. 
Doty  left  Amoy  for  the  United  States,  Nov.  12, 
1845,  with  his  own  and  Mr.  Pohlman's  children. 
Rev.  J.  V.  N.  Talmage  accompanied  Mr.  Doty  on 
his  return  to  Amoy,  arriving  Aug.  19,  1847.  Mr. 
Pohlman  was  lost  at  sea  Jan.  5,  or  6,  1849.  M^"- 
Talmage  was  away  from  Amoy  from  March  24, 
1849  ^o  J'J^y  16'  1850.  Rev.  J.  Joralmon  arrived  at 
Amoy,  April  21,  1856. 

"  Mr.  Boone,  of  the  Episcopal  Church  of  the 
United  States,  was  at  Amoy  but  a  short  time. 
After  him  there  have  been  no  missionaries  of  that 
church  at  Amoy.  The  mission  of  the  American 
Presbyterian  Board  at  Amoy  was  commenced  by 
the  arrival  of  Rev.  T.  L.  McBryde,  in  June,  1842. 
He  left  Amoy  in  January,  1843.  James  C.  Hep- 
burn, M.D.,  arrived  in  1843,  and  retired  in  1845. 
Rev.  John  Lloyd  arrived  in  Dec,  1844.  Rev.  H.  A. 
Brown  arrived  in  1845  ^'"'d  left  Amoy  for  the  United 
States  in  Dec,  1847.    Mr.  Lloyd  died  in  Dec,  1848. 


Church    Union.  175 

Since  then  that  mission  has  not  been  continued  at 
Amoy. 

"  W.  H.  Gumming,  M.D.,  a  medical  missionary, 
but  not  connected  with  any  missionary  society,  ar- 
rived at  Amoy,  June,  1842,  and  left  Amoy  in  the 
early  part  of  1847.  The  London  Missionary 
Society's  Mission  at  Amoy  was  commenced  by  the 
arrival  of  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  Stronach  and  William 
Young,  in  July,  1844.  Since  then  other  agents  of 
that  society  have  arrived,  some  of  whom  have 
again  left  and  some  still  remain.  They  now  num- 
ber three  ministers  of  the  Gospel  and  one  physician. 
"  The  Mission  of  the  English  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Amoy  was  commenced  by  the  arrival  of 
James  H.  Young,  M.D.,  in  May,  1850.  Rev.  W.  G. 
Burns  arrived  in  July,  1851.  Rev.  James  Johnston 
arrived  in  Dec,  1853.  Dr.  Young  and  Mr.  Burns  left 
Amoy  in  August,  1854.  Mr.  Johnston  left  Amoy 
in  May,  1855.  Rev.  G.  Douglas  arrived  at  Amoy 
in  July,  1855.  He  is  now  the  only  member  of 
that  Mission  at  Amoy.  All  the  members  of  this 
Mission,  although  sent  out  by  the  English  Presby- 
terian Ghurch,  were  originally  members  of  the  Free 
Ghurch  of  Scotland. 

"The  present  missionary  force  at  Amoy  are 
three  ministers  and  one  physician  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society  (in  their  ecclesiastical  relations 


1 76  Church   Union. 

they  are  Independents),  one  minister  of  the  Enghsh 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  ourselves,  three  ministers 
of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church. 

"  The  first  converts  received  into  the  Christian 
Church  at  Amoy  were  two  old  men,  baptized  by 
Mr.  Pohlman  in  April,  1846.  The  next  converts 
received  were  two  men  baptized  by  Mr.  A.  Stron- 
ach,  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  in  March, 
1848.  A  few  months  later  Mr.  Stronach  baptized 
one  more.  Since  then  every  year  has  witnessed 
additions  to  the  church.  We  received  into  our 
church  by  baptism  in  1849  three  persons  ;  in  1850, 
five;  in  185 1,  eight;  in  1852,  two;  in  1853,  six;  in 
1854,  including  those  baptized  at  Peh-chui-ia,  fifty- 
three ;  in  1855,  including  Peh-chui-ia  and  Chioh-be, 
seventy-two  ;  during  the  present  year  thus  far,  also 
including  Peh-chui-ia  and  Chioh-be,  fifty.  The 
whole  number  now  connected  with  our  church  at 
Amoy  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-one.  The  num- 
ber at  Peh-chui-ia  is  forty-two.  The  number  at 
Chioh-be  is  thirty-one.  In  all,  the  number  is  one 
hundred  and  ninety-four.  The  London  Mission 
has  also  been  greatly  blessed.  They  now  have  in 
connection  with  their  church  at  Amoy  and  in 
vicinity  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  members.  After 
acquiring  the  language  of  this  people,  we  have  felt 
that    our   great    work    is    to    preach    the    Gospel. 


Church   Union.  177 


Every  other  department  of  labor  must  be  entirely 
secondary  to  this.  The  Scriptures  are  clearly  in 
favor  of  these  views,  and  our  own  experience  has 
confirmed  these  views  until  they  have  become  very 
decided.  We  have  already  mentioned  the  name  of 
Mr.  Burns  as  uniting  in  labors  with  our  church 
members.  The  brethren  of  the  English  Presby- 
terian Church,  in  the  providence  of  God,  have  been 
brought  very  near  to  us.  We  have  rendered  each 
other  much  assistance  and  often  have  labored  to- 
gether almost  as  one  Mission. 

"When  Mr.  Burns  arrived  at  Amoy,  providen- 
tially he  found  and  secured  a  room  not  far  from 
our  church  edifice,  and  near  to  the  residences  of 
several  of  our  church  members.  As  soon  as  he  was 
able  to  use  the  dialect  of  Amoy,  many  of  our 
church  members  and  inquirers  were  glad  of  the 
privilege  of  meeting  with  him  daily  for  the  study  of 
the  Scriptures  and  for  prayer.  Mr.  Burns  came  to 
Amoy  for  the  simple  purpose  of  preaching  the 
Gospel.  He  did  not  wish  to  take  the  responsibil- 
ity of  organizing  a  separate  church.  He  was  ready 
to  co-operate  with  us  or  with  the  London  breth- 
ren. He  often  rendered  them  assistance  likewise. 
When  he  became  able  to  use  the  language  with 
freedom,  he  often  preached  in  our  church.  When 
he  went  out   for  street-preaching,  or  went   out  to 


1 78  Church   Union. 

visit  the  towns  and  villages  around,  he  always  took 
with  him  native  Christians,  usually  the  members  of 
our  church,  having  been  providentially  placed 
among  them.  Early  in  the  year  1854,  Mr.  Burns 
with  some  of  our  church  members  visited  the  re- 
gion of  Peh-chui-ia.  Much  interest  was  awakened 
in  that  region  in  the  subject  of  Christianity.  A 
goodly  number,  we  trust,  were  born  of  the  Spirit. 
Mr.  Burns  did  not  wish  to  take  the  responsibility 
of  a  pastor,  desiring  to  keep  himself  free  for  evan- 
gelistic labors  wherever  a  door  might  be  opened 
before  him.  He  requested  us  to  examine  the  can- 
didates for  baptism  and  receive  those  whom  we 
deemed  worthy,  and  take  the  pastoral  care  of  them. 
We  yielded  to  the  desires  of  Mr.  Burns  and  took 
charge  of  Peh-chui-ia. 

"  Mr.  Burns  continued  to  spend  much  of  his  time 
in  that  place  and  vicinity  until  he  was  called  to 
leave  Amoy.  Shortly  after  the  departure  of  Mr. 
Burns,  learning  that  the  English  Presbyterians 
would  have  been  glad  to  retain  Peh-chui-ia,  and 
Mr.  Johnston  (E.  P.)  being  willing  to  take  charge 
there  as  far  as  he  was  able,  we  very  willingly  relin- 
quished it  to  them.  He  was  still  unable  to  use  the 
language  with  freedom,  so  we  continued  to  visit 
the  place  as  often  as  we  could.  Before  Mr.  John- 
ston's knowledge  was  sufficient  to  relieve  us  of  the 


Church   Union.  1 79 


pastoral  care  of  that  interesting  church,  his  ill-health 
compelled  him  to  return  to  his  native  land.  His 
place  was  soon  supplied  by  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Doug- 
las. We  have  continued  the  same  pastoral  care  of 
that  church.  Lately  our  visits  to  the  place  have 
become  less  frequent,  as  Mr.  Douglas  has  become 
better  acquainted  with  the  language. 

"  In  the  latter  half  of  the  year  1854,  some  of  the 
Christians  from  Peh-chui-ia  went  to  the  large  town 
of  Chioh-be  on  business  and  preached  the  Gospel  as 
they  had  opportunity.  They  found  a  few  persons 
who  listened  to  their  message  with  interest  and  mani- 
fested a  desire  to  hear  more.  When  this  fact,  on  their 
return,  was  reported  to  the  churches  of  Peh-chui-ia 
and  Amoy,  other  Christians  went  to  Chioh-be.  A 
great  interest  was  awakened.  A  small  house  was 
rented  for  a  chapel.  This  house  was  thronged  every 
day  throughout  the  day  and  evening.  Soon  as  we 
had  opportunity  we  visited  the  place  to  converse 
with  inquirers  and  examine  candidates  for  baptism. 
In  January,  1855,  the  first  converts  at  that  place  were 
baptized.  The  interest  continued  to  increase.  We 
found  the  premises  we  had  rented  entirely  too 
small.  As  soon  as  a  larger  and  more  suitab! : 
place  could  be  found  it  was  secured.  Soon  after 
this  a  violent  persecution  broke  out.  The  imme- 
diate effect  was  greatly  to  hinder  the  work.     Only 


i8o  Church   Union. 

those  who  were  sufficiently  interested  in  the  Gos- 
pel to  raise  them  above  the  fear  of  man  dared  at- 
tend the  place  of  worship.  Still  there  has  been 
constant  progress. 

"  If  the  churches  gathered  by  us  are  to  be  organ- 
ized simply  with  respect  to  the  glory  of  God  and 
their  own  welfare,  there  is  a  fact  in  our  circum- 
stances which  should  have  great  weight  in  forming 
this  organization.  This  fact  is  the  intimate  rela- 
tion and  hitherto  oneness  of  the  churches  under 
our  care  and  under  the  care  of  the  missionaries  of 
the  English  Presbyterian  Church.  In  the  forego- 
ing short  history  of  our  work  it  will  be  seen  that 
we  have  been  and  are  closely  connected  with  the 
missionaries  of  that  Church.  From  the  first  we 
have  had  the  pastoral  care  of  their  church  gathered 
at  Peh-chui-ia  and  in  the  surrounding  region. 
They  have  not  attempted  the  organization  of  any 
church  at  Amoy.  By  far  the  greater  proportion  of 
their  influence  and  labors  at  Amoy  has  been  in  the 
direction  of  assisting  us  in  our  work.  They  have 
acted  as  though  they  thought  it  was  of  no  import- 
ance whatever  whether  converts  were  received  into 
church  fellowship  by  us  or  them.  Doubtless  the 
church  members,  although  perfectly  aware  that  we 
and  our  English  Presbyterian  brethren  are  of  differ- 
ent  Churches  and  different  countries,  suppose  that 


Chitrch    Union.  i8i 

they  form  but  one  Church.  When  the  time  had 
arrived  for  a  regular  organization  of  our  church  in 
Amoy,  the  question  presented  itself:  Shall  we  in- 
vite Mr.  Douglas,  then  and  still  the  only  English 
Presbyterian  missionary  at  Amoy,  to  unite  with  us 
in  our  deliberations  ?  By  the  providence  of  God  our 
missions  had  been  brought  closely  together.  We 
had  been  laboring  together  in  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
were  one  in  sympathy,  held  the  same  views  in  the- 
ology, and  did  not  differ  in  regard  to  church  polity. 
But  one  answer  could  be  given  to  this  question. 
We  cordially  invited  him.  He  as  cordially  accepted 
of  our  invitation,  and  heartily  engaged  with  us  in 
our  church  meetings,  held  in  reference  to  the  elec- 
tion of  church  officers.  He  voted  with  us  and  our 
church  members.  He  united  with  us  in  setting 
apart  the  officers-elect  to  their  respective  offices, 
and  since  then  has  usually  united  with  us  in  our 
deliberations  in  our  consistorial  meetings.  Surel}' 
in  this  matter  we  have  acted  according  to  the  lead- 
ings of  Providence  and  the  spirit  and  instructions 
of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  ;  for  in  Christ  Jesus 
there  is  no  distinction  of  nationalities.  Our  labors 
having  thus  far  been  so  intermingled  and  our 
churches  so  intimately  related  and  united  to- 
gether, we  can  see  no  sufficient  reason  for  separa- 
tion.    If  there  be  any  advantage  in  the  association 


1 8  2  CJi  u  rcli   Un  ion . 

of  churches  by  the  organization  of  Classes  or  Pres- 
byteries, why  should  we  deprive  these  churches  in 
their  infancy  and  weakness  of  this  advantage  ?  We 
have  always  taught  our  people  to  study  the  Word 
of  God  and  make  it  their  rule.  Can  we  give  them 
a  sufficient  reason  for  such  separation  ?  Doubtless 
if  we  were  to  tell  them,  that  the  churches  by  which 
we  are  sent  out  and  sustained  desire  separate  or- 
ganizations, and  therefore  should  recommend  such 
organizations  to  them,  they  would  acquiesce. 
They  know  that  they  cannot  stand  alone.  Grati- 
tude, also,  and  ardent  affection  for  those  churches 
by  whose  liberality  they  have  been  made  acquainted 
with  the  Gospel,  would  lead  them  to  do  all  in  their 
power  to  please  those  churches.  We  can  hardly 
suppose,  however,  that  such  separation  would  ac- 
cord with  their  judgment,  or  with  those  Christian 
feelings  which  they  have  always  exercised  towards 
each  other  as  members  of  the  same  Church.  But 
we  do  not  suppose  that  either  our  Church  or  the 
English  Presbyterian  Church  will  recommend  such 
a  separation.  The  Dutch  Church  in  North  Amer- 
ica has  always  manifested  an  enlarged  Christian 
spirit,  and  therefore  we  cannot  doubt  but  that  she 
will  approve  of  an  organization  by  which  the 
churches  here,  which  are  one  in  doctrine  and  one 
in   spirit,  may  also  be  one  in  ecclesiastical   matters. 


2     H 
?     ^ 


-^  > 

o  r 

•^  r 

>  M 

g  ■< 

O  ■ 


Church   Union. 


Neither  do  we  doubt  but  that  the  Enghsh  Presby- 
terian Church  will  also  approve  of  the  same 
course.  We  do  not  know  as  much  of  that  Church 
as  we  hope  to  know  in  the  future.  Yet  we  know 
enough  of  her  already  to  love  her.  But  if  separa- 
tion must  come,  let  not  our  Church  bear  the 
responsibility. 

"  Another  question  of  importance  may  arise. 
What  shall  be  our  relation  as  individuals  to  the 
Dutch  Church  in  America  ?  We  see  no  reason  and 
desire  not  to  change  the  relation  we  have  always 
sustained.  We  were  set  apart  by  that  Church  to  do 
the  work  of  evangelists.  This  is  the  work  in 
which  we  still  wish  to  be  engaged.  We  must 
preach  the  Gospel.  As  God  gives  success  to  our 
labors  we  must  organize  churches,  and  take  over- 
sight of  them  as  long  as  they  need  that  oversight. 
When  we  find  suitable  men,  we  must  '  ordain  elders 
in  every  city.'  Such  is  the  commission  we  hold 
from  our  Church,  and  from  the  great  Head  of  the 
Church.  Theoretically,  difficulties  may  be  sug- 
gested. Practically,  with  the  principles  on  which 
we  have  thus  far  acted,  we  see  no  serious  difficulties 
in  our  way.  We  must  seek  for  Divine  guidance, 
take  the  Scriptures  for  our  rule,  and  fo.llow  the 
leadings  of  Providence.  We  are  all  liable  to  err. 
But  with  these   principles,  assisted   by  your  coun- 


1 84  Chiirch    Union. 

sels,  and  especially  by  your  prayers,  we  have  reason 
to  believe,  and  do  believe,  that  the  Spirit  of  truth 
will  guide  us  in  the  way  of  truth." 

Dr.  Talmage  also  sent  a  communication  to  Dr. 
Thomas  De  Witt,  then  Corresponding  Secretary  for 
the  Reformed  Church  in  co-operation  with  the 
American  Board.     It  reads  : 

"Oct.  I,  1856.  There  are  some  other  facts  aris- 
ing out  of  the  circumstances  of  this  people,  and  of 
the  nature  of  the  Chinese  language,  which  have  a 
certain  importance  and  perhaps  should  be  laid  be- 
fore the  Church.  No  part  of  the  name  of  our 
Church,  peculiar  to  our  denomination,  can  be  trans- 
lated and  applied  to  the  church  in  Chinese  without 
inconvenience  or  great  detriment.  The  words, 
Protestant  and  Reformed,  would  be  to  the  Chinese 
unintelligible,  consequently  inconvenient.  The 
only  translation  we  can  give  to  the  name  Dutch 
Church,  would  be  Church  of  Holland.  This,  besides 
conveying  in  part  an  incorrect  idea,  would  be  very 
detrimental  to  the  interests  of  the  Church  among 
the  Chinese.  The  Chinese  know  but  little  of 
foreign  nations  and  have  for  ages  looked  upon  them 
all  as  barbarians.  Of  course  the  views  of  the  native 
Christians  are  entirely  changed  on  this  subject. 
But  our  great  work  is  to  gather  converts  from  the 
heathen.     We  should   be  very  careful  not  to  use 


Cli  u  rch   Ufi  to  J 1 .  185 

any  terms  by  which  they  would  be  unnecessarily 
prejudiced  against  the  Gospel.  It  is  constantly 
charged  upon  the  native  Christians,  both  as  a  re- 
proach and  as  an  objection  to  Christianity,  that 
they  are  following  foreigners  or  have  become 
foreigners.  The  reproach  is  not  a  light  one,  but 
the  objection  is  easily  answered.  The  answer 
would  not  be  so  easy  if  we  were  to  fasten  on  the 
Christians  a  foreign  name." 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Synod,  held  in 
the  village  of  Ithaca,  New  York,  June,  1857,  the 
following  resolutions  recommended  by  the  Com- 
mittee on  Foreign  Missions,  Talbot  W.  Chambers, 
D.D.,  Chairman,  were  adopted  : 

THE   MEMORIAL   OF   THE   AMOY   MISSION. 

"  Among  the  papers  submitted  to  the  Synod  is 
an  elaborate  document  from  the  brethren  at  Amoy, 
giving  the  history  of  their  work  there,  of  its  gradual 
progress,  of  their  intimate  connection  with  mis- 
sionaries from  other  bodies,  of  the  formation  of  the 
Church  now  existing  there,  and  expressing  their 
views  as  to  the  propriety  and  feasibility  of  forming 
a  Classis  at  that  station.  In  reply  to  so  much  of 
this  paper  as  respects  the  establishment  of  indi- 
vidual churches,  we  must  say  that  while  we  appre- 
ciate the  peculiar  circumstances  of  our  brethren, 


t86  Church   Union. 

and  sympathize  with  their  perplexities,  yet  it  has 
always  been  considered  a  matter  of  course  that 
ministe'^s,  receiving  their  commission  through  our 
Church,  and  sent  forth  under  the  auspices  of  our 
Board,  would,  when  they  formed  converts  from  the 
heathen  in  an  ecclesiastical  body,  mould  the  or- 
ganization into  a  form  approaching,  as  nearly  as 
possible,  that  of  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch 
Churches  in  our  own  land.  Seeing  that  the  con- 
verted heathen,  when  associated  together,  must 
have  some  form  of  government,  and  seeing  that  our 
form  is,  in  our  view,  entirely  consistent  with,  if  not 
required  by  the  Scriptures,  we  expect  that  it  will 
in  all  cases  be  adopted  by  our  missionaries,  sub- 
ject, of  course,  to  such  modifications  as  their 
peculiar  circumstances  may  for  the  time  render 
necessary.  The  converts  at  Amoy,  as  at  Arcot  and 
elsewhere,  are  to  be  regarded  as  '  an  integral  part 
of  our  Church,'  and  as  such  are  entitled  to  all  the 
rights  and  privileges  which  we  possess.  And  so  in 
regard  to  the  formation  of  a  Classis.  The  Church 
at  home  will  undoubtedly  expect  the  brethren  to 
associate  themselves  into  a  regular  ecclesiastical  or- 
ganization, just  as  soon  as  enough  materials  are 
obtained  to  warrant  such  measure,  with  the  hope 
that  it  will  be  permanent.  We  do  not  desire 
churches  to  be  prematurely  formed  in  order  to  get 


Church   Union.  187 

materials  for  a  Classis,  nor  any  other  exercise  of 
violent  haste,  but  we  equally  deprecate  unnecessary 
delay,  believing  that  a  regular  organization  will  be 
alike  useful  to  our  brethren  themselves  and  to 
those  who,  under  them,  are  in  training  for  the 
first  oflfice-bearers  in  the  Christian  Church  on 
heathen  ground.  As  to  the  difificulties  suggested 
in  the  memorial,  respecting  the  different  Particular 
Synods  to  which  the  brethren  belong,  and  the  de- 
lays of  carrying  out  a  system  of  appellate  juris- 
diction covering  America  and  China,  it  is  enough 
to  say : 

"  I.  That  the  Presbyterian  Church  (Old  School) 
finds  no  insuperable  difificulties  in  carrying  into 
operation  her  system,  which  comprehends  Presby- 
teries and  Synods  in  India  as  well  as  here;  and,  2. 
That  whatever  hindrances  may  at  any  time  arise, 
this  body  will,  in  humble  reliance  upon  the  Divine 
aid  and  blessing,  undertake  to  meet  and  remove 
them  as  far  as  possible.  The  Church  at  home  as- 
sumes the  entire  responsibility  of  this  matter,  and 
only  ask  the  brethren  abroad  to  carry  out  the  policy 
held  steadily  in  view  from  the  first  moment  when 
our  Missions  began. 

"The  following  resolutions  are  recommended: 
'■'■  Resolved,  I.  That   the   Synod  view   with  great 
pleasure    the    formation    of    churches    among    the 


iS8  Church   Union. 

converts  from  hcathenisin,  organized  according  to 
the  established  usages  of  our  branch  of  Zion. 

"  2.  That  the  brethren  at  Amoy  be  directed  to 
apply  to  the  Particular  Synod  of  Albany  to  or- 
ganize them  into  a  Classis,  so  soon  as  they  shall 
have  formed  churches  enough  to  render  the  per- 
manency of  such  organization  reasonably  certain." 


CHURCH  UNION  (CONTINUED). 


(189) 


IX. 

CHURCH  UNION   (CONTINUED). 

This  utterance  of  the  General  Synod,  while  made 
with  the  best  intentions,  fell  with  exceedingly 
painful  echo  on  the  ears  of  the  missionaries  at 
Amoy.  Was  the  flock  they  had  gathered  with  so 
much  prayer  and  effort,  and  reared  with  such  sedu- 
lous care,  to  be  thus  summarily  divided  and  per- 
haps in  consequence  scattered  ?  The  missionaries 
felt  persuaded  that  their  brethren  in  the  United 
States  could  not  fully  appreciate  the  situation  or 
there  would  be  no  such  action. 

Mr.  Talmage  again  took  up  his  pen  in  behalf  of 
his  Chinese  flock.  If  it  had  been  dipped  in  his  own 
blood  his  utterances  could  not  have  been  more 
forceful — could  not  have  palpitated  with  a  heartier 
affection  for  his  Chinese  brethren's  sake. 

On  Dec.  23,  1857,  he  wrote  to  Dr.  Isaac  Ferris, 
who,  since  the  separation  from  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  at 
the  last  Synod,  had  become  the  Corresponding 
Secretary  for  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of 
the  Reformed  Church. 


1 9  2  Ch  urch    Uii ion . 

"  So  far  as  we  can  judge  from  the  report  of  the 
proceedings  of  General  bynod  as  given  in  the 
CJiristiaJi  Intelligencer,  one  of  the  most  important 
considerations,  perhaps  altogether  the  most  im- 
portant mentioned,  why  the  church  gathered  by 
us  here  should  not  be  an  integral  part  of  the 
Church  in  America,  was  entirely  overlooked.  That 
consideration  relates  to  the  unity  of  Christ's 
Church.  Will  our  Church  require  of  us,  will  she 
desire  that  those  here  who  are  altogether  07ie, — one 
in  doctrine,  one  in  their  views  of  church  order,  and 
one  in  mutual  love,— be  violently  separated  into  two 
denominations?  We  cannot  believe  it.  Suppose 
the  case  of  two  churches  originally  distinct,  by 
coming  into  contact  and  becoming  better  ac- 
quainted with  each  other,  they  find  that  they  hold 
to  the  same  doctrinal  standards,  and  the}'  explain 
them  in  the  same  manner;  they  have  the  same 
form  of  church  government  and  their  officers  are 
chosen  and  set  apart  in  the  same  way;  they  have 
the  same  order  of  worship  and  of  administering  the 
sacraments  ;  all  their  customs,  civil,  social,  and  re- 
ligious, are  precisely  alike,  and  they  love  each  other 
dearly ;  should  not  such  churches  unite  and  form 
but  one  denomination?  Yet  such  a  supposition 
does  not  and  cannot  represent  the  circumstances  of 
the  churches  gathered   by  us    and   by  our   Scotch 


Church    Union.  193 

brethren  of  the  English  Presbyterian  Church.  Our 
churches  originally  were  one,  and  still  are  one,  and 
the  question  is  not  whether  those  churches  shall  be 
united,  but  shall  they  be  separated?  Possibly  the 
question  will  be  asked,  why  were  these  churches 
allowed  originally  to  become  one?  We  answer, 
God  made  tJicni  so,  and  that  without  any  plan  or 
forethought  on  our  part,  and  now  we  thank  Him  for 
His  blessing  that  He  has  made  them  one,  and  that 
He  has  blessed  them  because  they  are  one. 

"  Our  position  is  a  somewhat  painful  one.  We 
desire  to  give  offence  to  no  one,  and  we  do  not  wish 
to  appear  before  the  Church  as  disputants.  We 
have  no  controversy  with  any  one.  We  have  nei- 
ther the  time  nor  inclination  for  controversy.  We 
are  'doing  a  great  work,'  and  cannot  '  come  down.' 
Yet  our  duty  to  these  churches  here  and  to  the 
Church  at  home  and  to  our  Master  demands  of  us 
imperatively  that  we  state  fully  and  frankly  our 
views.  We  have  the  utmost  confidence  in  our 
church.  We  have  proved  this  by  endeavoring  to 
get  our  views  fully  known." 

The  subject  did  not  come  up  again  for  discussion 
before  the  General  Synod  until  1863. 

Meanwhile  the  churches  grew  and  multiplied. 
The  Amoy  church,  which  in  1S56  had  been  organ- 
ized by  "  the  setting  apart  of  ciders  and  deacons," 


194  Church   Union. 

was  separated  into  two  organizations  in  i860, 
"preparatory  to  the  calling  of  pastors." 

Two  men  were  chosen  by  the  churches  in  1861. 
In  1862  an  organization  was  formed  called  the 
"Tai-hoey,"  or  "Great  Elders'  Meeting,"  consist- 
ing of  the  missionaries  of  both  the  English  Presby- 
terian and  Reformed  Churches  and  the  delegated 
elders  from  all  the  organized  congregations  under 
their  united  oversight.  The  two  men  chosen  as 
pastors  were  examined,  ordained,  and  installed  by 
this  body. 

^  During  that  year  Mr.  Talmage  was  called  to 
stand  by  the  "  first  gash  life  had  cut  in  the  church- 
yard turf"  for  him.  His  beloved  wife,  Mrs.  Abby 
Woodruff  Talmage,  was  called  to  her  reward,  leav- 
ing Mr.  Talmage  with  four  motherless  little  ones. 
He  was  compelled  to  go  to  the  United  States  to 
secure  proper  care  for  his  children.  He  came  in 
time  to  attend  the  General  Synod  of  1863.  There 
he  advocated  most  earnestly  the  course  which  the 
brethren  at  Amoy  had  taken. 

Dr.  Isaac  Ferris  brought  the  subject  before  the 
Synod  in  these  words : 

"In  1857  the  Synod  met  at  Ithaca,  and  a  most 
remarkable  Synod  it  was.  According  to  the  testi- 
mony of  all  who  were  present  the  Spirit  of  God  un- 
usually manifested  His  gracious  presence.     A  ven- 


Church   Union.  195 


erable  minister  on  his  return  remarked,  '  It  was  like 
heaven  upon  earth.'  That  Synod,  under  this  ex- 
traordinary sense  of  the  Divine  presence  and  unc- 
tion, judged  that  the  time  had  arrived  for  the 
Church  to  take  the  responsibility  of  supporting  its 
foreign  missionary  work  upon  itself,  and,  accord- 
ingly, in  very  proper  resolutions,  asked  of  the 
American  Board  to  have  the  compact  which  had 
been  in  operation  since  1832  revoked,  and  the  Mis- 
sion transferred  to  our  Foreign  Board. 

"  It  was  at  that  meeting  that  a  memorial  of  our 
brethren  at  Amoy  on  the  subject  of  organization, 
very  ably  drawn,  and  presenting  fully  their  views 
and  reasonings,  was  read  and  deliberated  on. 
Their  work  had  been  wonderfully  blessed,  and  the 
whole  Church  was  called  to  thanksgiving,  and  the 
time  seemed  at  hand  to  realize  the  expectations  of 
years.  The  brethren  asked  advice,  and  the  Synod 
adopted  the  carefully-drawn  report  of  a  committee 
of  which  the  President  was  chairman,  advising  the 
organization  of  a  Classis  at  as  early  a  day  as  was 
practicable.  Our  brethren  at  Amoy  were  not  satis- 
fied with  this  advice,  and  considered  the  subject  as 
not  having  had  a  sufificient  hearing. 

"  In  the  progress  of  their  work  they  have  deemed 
it  proper  to  form  a  different  organization  from  what 
the  Synod  advised,  and  which  was  in  harmony  with 


196  Church   Unio7i. 

the  constant  aim  of  our  Church  on  the  subject. 
The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  when  the  matter 
came  before  them,  could  only  kindly  protest  and 
urge  upon  the  brethren  the  action  of  the  Synod  of 
1857.  Not  having  ecclesiastical  power,  they  could 
only  argue  and  advise.  They  would  have  it  re- 
membered that  all  has  been  done  in  the  kindest 
spirit.  They  have  differed  in  judgment  from  the 
Mission,  but  not  a  ripple  of  unkind  feeling  has 
arisen. 

"The  question  now  before  the  Synod  is,  whether 
this  body  will  recede  from  the  whole  policy  of  the 
Church  and  its  action  in  1857  or  reaffirm  the  same. 
This  Synod,  in  its  action  on  this  case,  will  decide 
for  all  its  missions,  and  in  all  time,  on  what  princi- 
ples their  missionaries  shall  act,  and  hence  this  be- 
comes probably  the  most  important  question  of 
this  session.  It  is  in  the  highest  degree  desirable 
that  the  Synod  should  give  the  subject  the  fullest 
the  most  patient  and  impartial  examination,  and 
that  our  brother,  who  represents  the  Amoy  Mis- 
sion, be  fully  heard." 

Mr.  Talmage  next  addressed  the  Synod  and 
offered  the  following  resolution  : 

'■'Resolved,  That  the  Synod  hear  with  gratitude 
to  God  of  the  great  progress  of  the  work  of  the 
Lord  at  Amoy,  and  in  the  region  around,  so  that 


Ch  u rch    Un ion.  197 

already  we  hear  of  six  organized  churches  with 
their  Consistories,  and  others  growing  up  not  yet 
organized,  two  native  pastors  who  were  to  have 
been  ordained  on  the  29th  of  March  last,  and  the 
whole  under  the  care  of  a  Classis  composed  of  the 
missionaries  of  our  Church  and  of  the  English 
Presbyterian  Church,  the  native  pastors,  and  rep- 
resentative elders  of  the  several  churches.  It  calls 
for  our  hearty  gratitude  to  the  great  Head  of  the 
Church  that  the  missionaries  of  different  Churches 
and  different  countries  have  been  enabled,  through 
Divine  grace,  to  work  together  in  such  harmon}\ 
It  is  also  gratifying  to  us  that  these  churches  and 
this  Classis  have  been  organized  according  to  the 
polity  of  our  Church,  inasmuch  as  the  Synod  of  the 
English  Presbyterian  Church  has  approved  of  the 
course  of  their  missionaries  in  uniting  for  the  or- 
ganizing of  a  church  after  our  order;  therefore,  this 
Synod  would  direct  its  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
to  allow  our  missionaries  to  continue  their  present 
relations  with  the  missionaries  of  the  English  Pres- 
byterian Church,  so  long  as  the  present  harmony 
shall  continue,  and  no  departure  shall  be  made 
from  the  doctrines  and  essential  policy  of  our 
Church,  or  until  the  Synod  shall  otherwise  direct." 
There  were  speeches  for  and  against,  by  distin- 
guished men  in  the  Church.     Dr.  T.  W.  Chambers, 


T98  CJmrch    Union. 

President  of  the  Synod,  made  the  concluding  ad- 
dress, as  follows : 

"If  there  be  any  one  here  who  has  a  deep  and 
tender  sympathy  with  our  brother  Talmage  and  his 
senior  missionary  colleague  (Mr.  Doty),  I  claim  to 
be  the  man. 

"  Mr.  Doty  was  my  first  room-mate  at  college 
thirty-one  years  ago,  and  ever  since  we  have  been 
fast  friends.  As  to  the  other,  his  parents — them- 
selves among  the  most  eminent  and  devoted  Chris- 
tians ever  known — were  long  members  of  the 
church  in  New  Jersey,  of  which  I  was  formerly 
in  charge.  For  several  years  I  was  his  pastor.  I 
signed  the  testimonials  of  character  required  by  the 
American  Board  before  they  commissioned  him.  I 
pronounced  the  farewell  address  when  he  left  this 
country  in  1850.  I  have  watched  with  intense  in- 
terest his  entire  career  since,  and  no  one  welcomed 
him  more  warmly  when  he  returned  last  year,  bear- 
ing in  his  face  and  form  the  scars  which  time  and 
toil  had  wrought  upon  his  constitution.  It  is  need- 
less to  say,  then,  that  I  love  him  dearly  for  his  own 
sake,  for  his  parents'  sake,  for  his  numerous  friends' 
sake,  but,  more  than  all,  for  that  Master's  sake  whom 
he  has  so  successfully  served.  Nor  is  there  any- 
thing within  reason  which  I  would  not  have  the 
Church  do  for  him.     He  shall  have  our  money,  our 


Ch  11  rch    Un ion.  1 9 9 


sympathy,  our  prayers,  our  confidence — the  largest 
h'berty  in  shaping  the  operations  of  the  Mission  he 
belongs  to. 

"  But  when  we  come  to  the  matter  now  at  issue, 
I  pause.  Much  as  I  love  our  brother,  I  love  Christ 
more.  Nor  can  I  surrender,  out  of  deference  to 
our  missionaries,  the  constitution,  the  policy,  the 
interests  of  our  Church, — all  of  which  are  involved 
in  this  matter.  Nay,  even  their  own  welfare,  and 
that  of  the  mission  they  are  so  tenderly  attached 
to,  demand  that  we  should  deny  their  request. 
What  is  this  request?  That  we  should  allow  our  1 
brethren  at  Amoy,  together  with  the  English  Pres- 
byterian missionaries  there,  to  form  with  the  native 
pastors  and  the  delegates  from  the  native  churches, 
an  independent  Classis  or  Presbytery,  over  whose 
proceedings  this  body  should  have  no  control  what- 
ever, by  Vv'ay  of  appeal,  or  review,  or  in  any  other 
form.  Now,  the  first  objection  to  this  is,  that  it  is 
flatly  in  the  face  of  our  constitution  and  order.  A 
'self-regulating  Classis'  is  a  thing  which  has  never 
been  heard  of  in  the  Dutch  Church  since  that 
Church  had  a  beginning.  It  is  against  every  law, 
principle,  canon,  example,  and  precedent  in  our 
books.  Perhaps  the  most  marked  feature  of  our 
polity  is  the  subordination  of  all  parts  of  our  body, 
large  or  small,  to  the   review  and   control  of  the 


200  CJrurcJi    Union. 

whole  as  expressed  in  the  decisions  of  its  highest 
ecclesiastical  assembly.  I  submit  that  this  Synod 
has  no  right  to  form  or  to  authorize  any  such  self- 
regulating  ecclesiastical  body,  or  to  consent  that 
any  ministers  of  our  Church  should  hold  seats  in 
such  a  body.  If  we  do  it,  we  transcend  the  most 
liberal  construction  which  has  ever  been  known  to 
be  given  to  the  powers  of  General  Synod.  How, 
then,  can  we  do  this  thing?  Whatever  our  sympa- 
thies, how  can  we  violate  our  own  order,  our  funda- 
mental principles,  the  polity  to  which  we  are  bound 
by  our  profession,  by  our  subscription,  by  every  tie 
which  can  bind  religious  and  honorable  men? 

"  Moreover,  the  thing  we  are  asked  to  do  contra- 
venes our  missionary  policy  from  the  beginning. 
As  far  back  as  1832,  when  we  made  a  compact  with 
the  American  Board,  one  essential  feature  of  the 
plan  was  that  we  should  have  '  an  ecclesiastical 
organization '  of  our  own.  Without  this  feature 
that  plan  would  never  have  been  adopted  ;  and 
the  apprehension  that  there  might  be  some  inter- 
ference with  this  cherished  principle  was  at  least  one 
of  the  reasons  why  the  plan,  after  working  success- 
fully for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  was  at  length  ab- 
rogated. And  so  when,  in  1857,  we  instituted  a 
missionary  board  of  our  own,  this  view  was  dis- 
tinctly announced. 


Church    Union.  201 

"  It  was  my  privilege  to  draw  up  the  report  on 
the  subject  which  has  been  so  often  referred  to. 
That  report  did  not  express  merely  my  view,  or 
that  of  the  committee,  but  the  view  of  the  entire 
Synod.  Nor  from  that  day  to  this  has  there  been 
heard  anywhere  within  our  bounds  even  a  whisper 
of  objection  from  minister,  elder,  or  layman  in  re- 
gard to  the  positions  then  taken.  It  is  our  settled, 
irreversible  policy.  Deep  down  in  the  heart  of  the 
Church  lies  the  conviction  that  our  missionaries, 
who  carry  to  the  heathen  the  doctrine  of  Christ  as 
we  have  received  it,  must  also  carry  the  order  of 
Christ  as  we  have  received  it.  Certain  unessential 
peculiarities  may,  from  the  force  of  circumstances, 
be  left  in  abeyance  for  a  time,  or  even  permanently, 
but  the  dominant  features  must  be  retained.  It  is 
not  enough  to  have  genuine  Consistories,  we  must 
have  genuine  Classes.  And,  under  whatever  modi- 
fications, the  substantive  elements  of  our  polity 
must  be  reproduced  in  the  mission  churches  estab- 
lished by  the  blessing  of  God  upon  the  men  and 
means  furnished  by  our  Zion. 

"  Further,  Mr.  President,  it  is  to  be  remembered 
that  we  are  acting  for  all  time.  It  is  not  this  one 
case  that  is  before  us.  We  are  settling  a  precedent 
which  is  to  last  for  generations.  Relax  your  con- 
stitutions and  laws  for  this  irregularity  and  you 


202  Church   Union. 

open  a  gap  through  which  a  coach  and  four  may 
be  driven.  Every  other  mission,  under  the  least 
pretext,  will  come  and  claim  the  same  or  a  similar 
modification  in  their  case,  and  you  cannot  consist- 
ently deny  them.  The  result  will  be  an  ecclesiasti- 
cal chaos  throughout  our  entire  missionary  field. 
Let  us  begin  as  we  mean  to  hold  out.  Let  us  set- 
tle this  question  now  and  settle  it  aright.  We  di- 
rect our  missionaries  what  Gospel  to  preach,  what 
sacraments  to  administer,  what  internal  organiza- 
tion to  give  to  single  churches.  Let  us,  in  the 
same  manner  and  for  the  same  reasons,  say  what 
sort  of  bonds  shall  unite  these  churches  to  each 
other  and  govern  their  mutual  relations  and  com- 
mon interests. 

"  I  know  we  are  told  that  the  hybrid  organiza- 
tion which  now  exists  is  every  way  sufficient  and 
satisfactory ;  that  it  is  the  fruit  of  Chrictian  love, 
and  that  to  disturb  it  would  be  rending  the  body 
of  Christ.  Here  one  might  ask  how  it  came  to  ex- 
ist at  all,  seeing  that  this  Synod  spoke  so  plainly 
and  unambiguously  in  1857.  And  I  for  one  cor- 
dially concur  in  the  remark  of  the  Elder  SchiefTelin, 
that  the  brethren  there  'deserve  censure.'  We  do 
not  censure  them,  nor  do  we  propose  to  do  so,  but 
that  they  deserve  it  is  undeniable.  But  the  point 
is,  how  can  our  disapproval  of  the  mongrel  Classis 


Ckurck   Union.  203 

mar  the  peace  of  the  Amoy  brethren  ?  There  is 
already  a  division  among  their  churches.  Some 
are  supported  by  our  funds,  others  by  the  funds  of 
the  EngHsh  Presbyterians.  Would  it  alter  matters 
much  to  say,  and  to  make  it  a  fact,  that  some  of 
those  churches  belong  to  a  Classis  and  others  to  a 
Presbytery?  Some  have  an  American  connection 
and  others  an  English.  But  this  would  break 
Christian  unity!  Would  it,  indeed?  You  ob- 
served, Mr.  President,  the  affectionate  confidence, 
blended  with  reverence,  with  which  I  addressed 
from  the  chair  the  venerable  Dr.  Skinner,  The 
reason  was  that  we  both  belong  to  an  association 
of  ministers  in  New  York  which  meets  weekly  for 
mutual  fellowship,  enjoyment,  and  edification  in  all 
things  bearing  on  ministerial  character  and  duties. 
Ecclesiastically  we  have  no  connection  whatever. 
I  never  saw  his  Presbytery  in  session,  and  I  doubt 
if  he  ever  saw  our  Classis ;  yet  our  brotherly,  Chris- 
tian, and  even  ministerial  communion  is  as  tender, 
and  sacred,  and  profitable  as  if  we  had  been  co- 
presbyters  for  twenty  years.  Now,  who  dare  say 
that  this  shall  not  exist  at  Amoy?  Our  brethren 
there  can  maintain  precisely  the  same  love,  and 
confidence,  and  co-operation  as  they  do  now,  in 
all  respects  save  the  one  of  regular,  formal,  ecclesi- 
astical organization. 


204  Church  Uiiion. 

"  But  I  will  not  detain  the  Synod  longer.  I  would 
not  have  left  the  chair  to  speak,  but  for  the  over- 
whelming importance  of  the  subject.  It  is  painful 
to  deny  the  eager  and  earnest  wishes  of  our  mis- 
sionary brethren,  but  I  believe  we  are  doing  them  a 
real  kindness  by  this  course.  Union  churches  here 
have  always  in  the  end  worked  disunion,  confusion, 
and  every  evil  work.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe 
that  the  result  would  be  at  all  different  abroad.  A 
division  would  necessarily  come  at  some  period,  and 
the  longer  it  was  delayed,  the  more  trying  and  sor- 
rowful it  would  be.  I  am  opposed,  therefore,  to 
the  substitute  offered  by  Brother  Chapman,  and 
also  to  that  of  Brother  Talmage,  and  trust  that 
the  original  resolutions,  with  the  report,  will  be 
adopted.  That  report  contains  not  a  single  harsh 
or  unpleasant  word.  It  treats  the  whole  case  with 
the  greatest  delicacy  as  well  as  thoroughness,  but 
it  reafifirms  the  action  of  1857  ^"  ^  ^^ay  not  to  be 
mistaken.  And  that  is  the  ground  on  which  the 
Church  will  take  its  stand.  Whatever  time,  indul- 
gence, or  forbearance  can  be  allowed  to  our 
brethren,  will  cheerfully  be  granted.  Only  let 
them  set  their  faces  in  the  direction  of  a  distinct 
organization,  classical  as  well  as  consistorial,  and 
we  shall  be  satisfied.  Only  let  them  recognize 
the    principle    and    the    details    shall   be   left    to 


Church   Union.  205 

themselves,  under  the  leadings  of  God's  gracious 
providence." 

The  report  of  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, E.  S.  Porter,  D.D.,  chairman,  was  adopted. 
Part  of  it  reads  as  follows : 

"The  missionaries  there  have  endeared  their 
names  to  the  whole  Christian  world,  and  especially 
to  that  household  of  faith  of  which  they  are  loved 
and  honored  members." 

.  .  .  .  "  No  words  at  our  command  can  tell  what 
fond  and  flaming  sympathies  have  overleaped  broad 
oceans,  and  bound  them  and  us  together. 

"  '  Words,  like  nature,  half  reveal. 
And  half  conceal  the  soul  within.' 

.  .  .  .  "  Your  committee  are  unable  to  see  how 
it  will  be  possible  to  carry  the  sympathies  and 
the  liberalities  of  the  Church  with  an  increasing 
tide  of  love  and  sacrifice  in  support  of  our  mis- 
sionary work,  if  it  once  be  admitted  as  a  precedent, 
or  established  as  a  rule,  that  our  missionaries  may 
be  allowed  to  form  abroad  whatever  combinations 
they  may  choose,  and  aid  in  creating  ecclesiastical 
authorities,  which  supersede  the  authorities  which 
commissioned  them  and  now  sustain  them." 

"  The  committee  are  not  prepared  to  recommend 
that  any  violent  and  coercive  resolutions  should  be 


2o6  Church   Union. 


adopted  for  the  purpose  of  constraining  our  breth- 
ren in  Amoy  to  a  course  of  procedure  which  would 
rudely  sunder  the  brotherly  ties  that  unite  them 
with  the  missionaries  of  the  English  Presbyterian 
Church.  But  a  Christian  discretion  will  enable 
them,  on  the  receipt  of  the  decision  of  the  present 
Synod,  in  this  matter  now  under  consideration,  to 
take  such  initial  steps  as  are  necessary  to  the 
speedy  formation  of  a  Classis. 

"  Much  must  be  left  to  their  discretion,  prudence 
and  judgment.  But  of  the  wish  and  expectation 
of  this  Synod  to  have  their  action  conform  as  soon 
as  may  be  to  the  resolutions  of  1857,  your  com- 
mittee think  the  brethren  at  Amoy  should  be  dis- 
tinctly informed.   They  therefore  offer  the  following: 

"  '  I.  Resolved,  That  the  General  Synod,  having 
adopted  and  tested  its  plan  of  conducting  foreign 
missions,  can  see  no  reason  for  abolishing  it  ;  but, 
on  the  contrary,  believe  it  to  be  adapted  to  the 
promotion  of  the  best  interests  of  foreign  mission- 
ary churches,  and  of  the  denomination  supporting 
them. 

"  'II.  That  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  be, 
and  hereby  is,  instructed  to  send  to  our  missionaries 
at  Amoy  a  copy  or  copies  of  this  report,  as  contain- 
ing the  well-considered  deliverance  of  the  Synod 
respecting  their  present  relations  and  future  duty. 


Chm^ch   Union.  207 

"  *  III.  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Foreign  Board 
be,  and  hereby  is,  directed  to  send  to  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Hamilton,  of  London,  Convener  of  the  Presbyterian 
Committee,  a  copy  of  this  report,  with  a  copy  of 
the  action  of  1857,  and  that  he  inform  him  by  let- 
ter of  the  wishes  and  expectations  of  the  Synod 
respecting  the  ecclesiastical  relations  which  this 
body  desires  its  churches  in  Amoy  to  sustain 
to  it.'  " 

In  the  report  of  the  Foreign  Committee  of  the 
English  Presbyterian  Church  for  1863,  the  following 
language  is  used  in  reference  to  the  Union  Chinese 
Church  of  Amoy : 

"  We  are  hopeful,  however,  that  on  further  con- 
sideration our  brethren  in  America  may  allow  their 
missionaries  in  China  to  continue  the  present  ar- 
rangement, at  least  until  such  time  as  it  is  found 
that  actual  difficulties  arise  in  the  way  of  carrying 
it  out.  '  Behold,  how  good  and  pleasant  it  is  for 
brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity,'  and  there  are 
few  brethren  towards  whom  we  feel  closer  affinity 
than  the  members  of  that  Church,  which  was  rep- 
resented of  old  by  Gomarus  and  Witsius,  by  Voet 
and  Marck,  and  Bernard  de  Moore,  and  whose 
Synod  of  Dort  preceded  in  time  and  pioneered  in 
doctrine  our  own  Westminster  Assembly.  Like 
them,  we  love  that  Presbyterianism  and  that  Cal- 


2o8  Cluirch    Union. 

vinism  which  we  hold  in  common,  and  we  wish  to 
carry  them  wherever  we  go  ;  but  we  fear  that  it 
would  not  be  doing  justice  to  either,  and  that  it 
might  compromise  that  name  which  is  above  every 
other,  if,  on  the  shores  of  China,  we  were  to  unfurl 
a  separate  standard.  We  would,  therefore,  not  only 
respectfully  recommend  to  the  Synod  to  allow  its 
missionaries  to  unite  presbyterially  as  well  as  prac- 
tically with  the  brethren  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  ;  but  we  would  express  the  earnest  hope 
that  the  Synod  of  the  sister  Church  in  America 
may  find  itself  at  liberty  to  extend  to  its  mission- 
aries a  similar  freedom." 

These  sentiments  were  unanimously  adopted  by 
the  Synod  of  the  English  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  cause  which  Mr.  Talmage  was  advocating 
was  too  near  his  heart,  and  his  convictions  were  too 
strong  to  permit  silence.  He  prepared  a  pamphlet, 
setting  forth  more  clearly  the  position  of  the  Mis- 
sion at  Amoy,  as  well  as  answering  objections  made 
to  it."^     A  few  quotations  read  : 

"  In  reference  to  it,  i.  c,  the  report  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Foreign  Missions,  we  would  make  three 
remarks:    (i)  It  (Resolution  III.)   seems  rather  a 

*  The  exact  standing  of  missionaries  in  the  Union 
Chinese  Church  of  Amoy  was  also  explained  bv  Dr. 
Talmage  in  a  later  pamphlet,  for  the  contents  of  which  see 
Appendix. 


Church   Union.  20g 

cavalier  answer  to  the  fraternal  wish  of  the  Synod 
of  the  English  Presbyterian  Church,  as  expressed 
in  their  action.  (2)  The  action  of  Synod  is  made 
to  rest  (Res.  I.)  on  the  fact  that  Synod  had  '  tested  ' 
this  '  plan  of  conducting  foreign  missions.'  If  this 
be  so,  and  the  plan  had  been  found  by  experiment 
unobjectionable,  the  argument  is  not  without  force. 
But  how  and  where  has  this  test  been  applied  and 
found  so  satisfactory?  Our  Church  has  three  Mis- 
sions among  the  heathen — one  in  India,  one  in 
China,  and  one  in  Japan.  Has  it  been  tested  in 
Japan  ?  No.  They  have  not  yet  a  single  native 
church.  Has  it  been  tested  in  China?  If  so,  the  mis- 
sionaries were  not  aware  of  it.  The  test  applied 
there  has  been  of  an  opposite  character  and  has  been 
wonderfully  successful.  The  test  has  only  been 
applied  in  India,  and  has  only  begun  to  be  applied 
even  there.  There,  as  yet,  there  is  but  one  native 
pastor.  Their  Classis  is  more  American  than  In- 
dian. We  must  wait  until  they  have  a  native  Classis 
before  the  test  can  be  pronounced  at  all  satisfac- 
tory. (3)  No  consideration  is  had  for  the  feelings, 
wishes  or  opinions  of  the  native  churches.  The 
inalienable  rights  of  the  native  churches,  their  rela- 
tion to  each  other,  their  absolute  unity — things  of 
the  utmost  consequence — are  not  at  all  regarded, 
are  entirely  ignored." 


2IO  Church    Union. 


In  reply  to  the  advantages  claimed  to  flow  from 
the  plan  advocated  by  General  Synod,  Mr.  Talmage 
says: 

"  I.  The  most  important  advantage  is,  or  is  sup- 
posed to  be,  that  there  will  thus  be  higher  courts 
of  jurisdiction  to  which  appeals  may  be  made,  and 
by  which  orthodoxy  and  good  order  may  be  the 
better  secured  to  the  Church  at  Amoy. 

"  Such  advantages,  if  they  can  be  thus  secured, 
we  would  by  no  means  underrate.  There  some- 
times are  cases  of  appeal  for  which  we  need  the 
highest  court  practicable — the  collective  wisdom  of 
the  Church,  so  far  as  it  can  be  obtained  ;  and  the 
preservation  of  orthodoxy  and  good  order  is  of  the 
first  importance.  Now,  let  us  see  whether  the  plan 
proposed  will  secure  these  advantages.  Let  us 
suppose  that  one  of  the  brethren  feels  himself  ag- 
grieved by  the  decision  of  the  Classis  of  Amoy  and 
appeals  to  the  Particular  Synod  of  Albany,  and 
thence  to  General  Synod.  He  will  not  be  denied 
the  right  to  such  appeal.  But,  in  order  that  the 
appeal  may  be  properly  prosecuted  and  disposed 
of,  the  appellant  and  the  representative  of  Classis 
should  be  present  in  these  higher  courts.  Can  this 
be  secured  ?  Is  the  waste  of  time,  of  a  year  or 
more,  nothing?  And  where  shall  the  thousands  of 
dollars  of  necessary  expense  come  from  ?    Now,  sup- 


Church    Union.  2  [  \ 


pose  this  appellant  to  be  a  Chinese  brother.  He, 
also,  has  rights  ;  but  how,  on  this  plan,  can  he  pos- 
sibly obtain  them  ?  Suppose  that  the  money  be 
raised  for  him  and  he  is  permitted  to  stand  on  the 
floor  of  Synod.  He  cannot  speak,  read,  or  write  a 
word  of  English.  Not  a  member  of  Synod  can 
speak,  read,  or  write  a  word  of  his  language,  except 
it  be  the  brother  prosecuting  him.  I  ask,  is  it  pos- 
sible for  him  thus  to  obtain  justice?  But,  waiving 
all  these  disadvantages,  the  only  point  on  which 
there  is  the  least  probability  that  an  appeal  of  a 
Chinese  brother  would  come  up  before  the  higher 
courts,  are  points  on  which  these  higher  courts 
would  not  be  qualified  to  decide.  They  would 
doubtless  grow  out  of  the  peculiar  customs  and 
laws  of  the  Chinese,  points  on  which  the  missionary, 
after  he  has  been  on  the  ground  a  dozen  years, 
often  feels  unwilling  to  decide,  and  takes  the  opin- 
ion of  the  native  elders  in  preference  to  his  own. 
Is  it  right  to  impose  a  yoke  like  this  on  that  little 
Church  which  God  is  gathering,  by  your  instru- 
mentality, in  that  far-off  land  of  China?  But  it  is 
said  that  these  cases  of  appeal  will  very  rarely  or 
never  happen.  Be  it  so ;  then  this  supposed  ad- 
vantage will  seldom  or  never  occur,  and,  if  it  should 
occur,  it  would  prove  a  disadvantage." 

In  regard  to  keeping  the  Church  pure  in  doctrine  : 


2  I  2  Church   Union. 


"Sure  I  am  that  the  Church  in  China  cannot  be 
kept  pure  by  legislation  on  this,  the  opposite  side  of 
the  globe.  But  we  expect  Christ  to  reign  over  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  be  given  to  the  Churches,  and  the 
proper  ecclesiastical  bodies  formed  of  them  in 
China,  as  well  as  in  this  land.  Why  not?  Such  are 
the  promises  of  God.  The  way  to  secure  these  things 
is  by  prayer  and  the  preaching  of  the  pure  Gospel, 
not  by  legislation.  Let  the  Church  be  careful  in 
her  selection  of  missionaries.  Send  only  such  as 
she  has  confidence  in — men  of  God,  sound  in  faith, 
apt  to  teach — and  then  trust  them,  or  recall  them. 
Don't  attempt  to  control  them  contrary  to  their 
judgment.  Strange  if  this,  which  is  so  much  in- 
sisted on  as  the  policy  of  our  Church,  be  right,  that 
she  cannot  get  a  single  man,  of  all  she  sends  out  to 
China,  to  think  so.  Can  it  be  that  the  missionary 
work  is  so  subversive  of  right  reason,  or  of  correct 
judgment,  or  of  conscientiousness,  that  all  become 
perverted  by  engaging  in  it  ? 

"  2.  Another  supposed  advantage  is  the  effect  it 
will  have  in  enlisting  the  sympathies  of  the  Church 
in  behalf  of  the  Mission  at  Amoy.  Our  people  do 
not  first  ask  w^hether  it  be  building  ourselves  up, 
before  they  sympathize  with  a  benevolent  object. 
We  believe  the  contrary  is  the  exact  truth.  It  re- 
quires a  liberal  policy  to  call  forth  liberal  views  and 


Church   Union.  21 


actions.  As  regards  the  enlisting  of  men,  look  at 
the  facts.  Every  man  who  has  gone  out  from 
among  you  to  engage  in  this  missionary  work  begs 
of  you  not  to  adopt  a  narrow  policy.  So  in  regard 
to  obtaining  of  funds.  Usually  the  men  who  are 
most  liberal  in  giving  are  most  liberal  in  feeling. 

....  "  However  powerful  the  motive  ad- 
dressed to  the  desire  to  build  up  our  own  Church, 
there  are  motives  infinitely  more  powerful.  Such 
are  the  motives  to  be  depended  upon  in  endeavor- 
ing to  elevate  the  standard  of  liberality  among  our 
people.  If  our  people  have  not  yet  learned,  they 
should  be  taught  to  engage  in  the  work  of  evangel- 
izing the  world,  not  for  the  sake  of  our  Church  in 
America,  but  for  the  sake  of  Christ  and  fiis  Church, 
and  when  the  Church  thus  built  up  is  like  our  own 
they  should  be  fully  satisfied.  We  believe  they 
will  be  satisfied  with  this. 

"Now  let  us  consider  the  real  or  supposed  evils 
of  carrying  out  the  decision  of  Synod. 

"I.  It  will  not  be  for  the  credit  of  our  Church. 
She  now  has  a  name,  with  other  Churches,  for  put- 
ting forth  efforts  to  evangelize  the  world.  Shall 
she  mar  this  good  name  and  acquire  one  for  secta- 
rianism, by  putting  forth  efforts  to  extend  herself, 
not  her  doctrines  and  order — they  are  not  sectarian, 
and  her  missionaries  esteem  them  as  highly  as  do 


2  14  CJiiiich   Union. 


their  brethren  at  home — but  herself,  even  at  the 
cost  of  dividing  churches  which  the  grace  of  God 
has  made  one  ?  The  decision  of  the  last  Synod 
may  not  be  the  result  of  sectarianism  among  the 
people  of  our  Church.  We  do  not  think  it  is.  But 
it  will  be  difficult  to  convince  our  Presbyterian 
brethren  and  others  that  it  is  not  so.  By  way  of 
illustration  I  will  suppose  a  case.  A.  is  engaged  in 
a  very  excellent  work.  B.  comes  to  him,  and  the 
following  dialogue  ensues : 

"  B.  'Friend  A.,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  engaged 
in  so  excellent  a  work.  I  also  have  concluded  to 
engage  in  it.  I  should  be  glad  to  work  with  you. 
You  know  the  proverbs,  '  Union  is  strength,'  and 
'  Two  are  better  than  one.' 

"A.  '  Yes,  yes,  friend  B.,  I  know  these  proverbs 
and  believe  them  as  thoroughly  as  you  do.  But  I 
have  a  few  peculiarities  about  my  way  of  working. 
They  are  not  many,  and  they  are  not  essential,  but 
I  think  they  are  very  useful,  and  wish  to  work  ac- 
cording to  them.  Therefore,  I  prefer  working 
alone.' 

"  B.  '  Yes,  friend  A.,  we  all  have  our  peculiarities, 
and,  if  they  be  not  carried  too  far,  they  may  all  be 
made  useful.  I  have  been  making  inquiries  about 
yours,  and  I  am  glad  to  find  they  are  not  nearly  so 
many,  or  so  different  from   mine,  as  you   suppose, 


Church   Union.  215 

and  as  I  once  supposed.  The  fact  is,  I  rather  like 
some  of  them,  and  though  I  may  not  esteem  them 
all  as  highly  as  you  do,  still  I  am  willing  to  conform 
to  them  ;  for  I  am  fully  persuaded  that,  in  work  of 
this  kind,  two  working  together  can  do  vastly  more 
than  two  working  separately,  and  the  work  will  be 
much  better  done.  Besides  this,  the  social  inter- 
course will  be  delightful.' 

"A.  'I  appreciate,  friend  B,,  your  politeness,  and 
am  well  aware  that  all  you  say  about  the  greater 
efficiency  and  excellence  of  united  work  and  the 
delights  of  social  intercourse  is  perfectly  true.  But 
— but — well,  I  prefer  to  work  alone.' 

"  2.  It  will  injure  the  efficiency  of  the  Church  at 
Amoy.  Besides  the  objection  furnished  by  the  in- 
crease of  denominations,  which  the  heathen  will 
thus,  as  readily  as  the  irreligious  in  this  country, 
be  able  to  urge  against  Christianity,  it  will  deprive 
the  churches  of  the  benefit  of  the  united  wisdom 
and  strength  of  the  whole  of  them  for  self-cultiva- 
tion and  for  Christian  enterprise,  and  will  introduce 
a  spirit  of  jealous  rivalry  among  them.  We  know  it 
is  said  that  there  need  be  no  such  result,  and  that  the 
native  churches  may  remain  just  as  united  in  spirit 
after  the  organization  of  two  denominations  as  be- 
fore. Such  a  sentiment  takes  for  granted,  either 
that  ecclesiastical  organization  has  in  fact  no  effi- 


2i6  CIntrch    Union. 


ciency,  or  that  the  Chinese  churches  have  arrived 
at  a  far  higher  state  of  sanctification  than  the 
churches  have  attained  to  in  this  land.  Do  not 
different  denominations  exhibit  jealous  rivalry  in 
this  land?  Is  Chinese  human  nature  different  from 
American? 

"  In  consequence  of  such  division  the  native 
Churches  will  not  be  so  able  to  support  the  Gospel 
among  themselves.  Look  at  the  condition  of  our 
Western  towns  in  this  respect.  Why  strive  to  en- 
tail like  evils  on  our  missionary  churches?  .... 

"  But  may  not  the  Church  change  or  improve 
her  decisions?  Here  is  one  of  the  good  things  we 
hope  to  see  come  out  of  this  mistake  of  the  Church. 
Jesus  rules,  and  He  is  ordering  all  things  for  the 
welfare  of  His  Church  and  the  advancement  of  His 
cause.  Sometimes,  the  better  to  accomplish  this 
end.  He  permits  the  Church  to  make  mistakes. 
When  we  failed  in  former  days  to  get  our  views 
made  public,  it  gave  us  no  anxiety,  for  we  believed 
the  doctrine  that  Jesus  reigns.  So  we  now  feel, 
notwithstanding  this  mistake.  The  Master  will 
overrule  it  for  good.  We  do  not  certainly  know 
how,  but  we  can  imagine  one  way.  By  means  of 
this  mistake  the  matter  may  be  brought  before  our 
Church,  and  before  other  Churches,  more  clearly 
than  it  would  otherwise  have  been  for  many  years 


Ch  It  rch   Uii  ion .  217 

to  come,  and  in  consequence  of  this  we.  expect,  in 
due  time,  that  our  Church,  instead  of  coming  up 
merely  to  the  standard  of  liberality  for  which  we 
have  been  contending,  will  rise  far  above  anything 
we  have  asked  for  or  even  imagined,  and  other 
Churches  will  also  raise  their  standard  higher. 
Hereafter  we  expect  to  contend  for  still  higher 
principles.  This  is  the  doctrine.  Let  all  the 
branches  of  the  great  Presbyterian  family  in  the 
same  region  in  any  heathen  country,  which  are 
sound  in  the  faith,  organize  themselves,  if  conven- 
ient, into  one  organic  whole,  allowing  liberty  to 
the  different  parts  in  things  non-essential.  Let 
those  who  adopt  Dutch  customs,  as  at  Amoy,  con- 
tinue, if  they  see  fit,  their  peculiarities,  and  those 
who  adopt  other  Presbyterian  customs,  as  at 
Ningpo  and  other  places,  continue  their  peculiari- 
ties, and  yet  all  unite  as  one  Church.  This  sub- 
ject does  not  relate  simply  to  the  interests  of  the 
Church  at  Amoy.  It  relates  to  the  interests  of  all 
the  missionary  work  of  all  the  churches  of  the 
Presbyterian  order  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  Oh, 
that  our  Church  might  take  the  lead  in  this  catho- 
licity of  spirit,  instead  of  falling  back  in  the  oppo- 
site direction — that  no  one  may  take  her  crown  ! 
But  if  she  do  not,  then  we  trust  some  other  of  the 
sacramental  hosts  will  take  the   lead  and   receive, 


i8  Church   Union. 


too,  the  honor,  for  it  is  for  the  glory  of  the  great 
Captain  of  our  salvation  and  for  the  interests  of 
His  kingdom.  We  need  the  united  strength  of 
all  these  branches  of  Zion  for  the  great  work 
which  the  Master  has  set  before  us  in  calling  on 
us  to  evangelize  the  world.  In  expecting  to  ob- 
tain this  union,  will  it  be  said  that  we  are  looking 
for  a  chimera?  It  ought  to  be  so,  ought  it  not? 
Then  it  is  no  chimera.  It  may  take  time  for  the 
Churches  to  come  up  to  this  standard,  but  within 
a  few  years  we  have  seen  tendencies  to  union 
among  different  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  fam- 
ily in  Australia,  in  Canada,  in  our  own  country, 
and  in  England  and  Scotland.  In  many  places 
these  tendencies  are  stronger  now  than  they  have 
ever  before  been  since  the  days  of  the  Reforma- 
tion. 

"  True,  human  nature  is  still  compassed  with  in- 
firmities even  in  the  Church  of  Christ.  But  the 
day  of  the  world's  regeneration  is  approaching,  and 
as  it  approaches  nearer  to  us,  doubtless  the  differ- 
ent branches  of  the  Presbyterian  family  will  ap- 
proach still  nearer  to  each  other.  God  hasten  the 
time,  and  keep  us  also  from  doing  anything  to  re- 
tard, but  everything  to  help  it  forward,  and  to  His 
name  be  the  praise  forever.     Amen." 

So  strong  was  the  feeling  of  the  entire  Amoy 


CJi  21  rch    Un  ion.  219 

Mission,  that  in  September,  1863,  the  following 
communication  was  sent  to  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions : 

"  Dear  Brethren  :  We  received  from  you  on 
the  22d  ultimo  the  action  taken  by  the  General 
Synod  at  its  recent  session  at  Newburgh  with  re- 
gard to  the  proposed  organization  of  a  Classis  at 
Amoy.  Did  we  view  this  step  in  the  light  in  which 
Synod  appears  to  have  regarded  it,  we  should 
need  in  this  communication  to  do  no  more  than 
signify  our  intention  to  carry  out  promptly  the 
requirements  of  Synod  ;  but  we  regret  to  say  that 
such  is  not  the  case,  and  that  Synod,  in  requiring 
this  of  us,  has  asked  us  to  do  that  which  we  cannot 
perform.  We  feel  that  Synod  must  have  mistaken 
our  position  on  this  question.  It  is  not  that  we  re- 
gard the  proposed  action  as  merely  inexpedient  and 
unwise  ;  if  this  were  all,  we  would  gladly  carry  out 
the  commands  of  Synod,  transferring  to  it  the  re- 
sponsibility which  it  offers  to  assume.  But  the 
light  in  which  we  regard  it  admits  of  no  transfer  of 
responsibility.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  judgment  only, 
but  also  of  conscience. 

"  We  conscientiously  feel  that  in  confirming  such 
an  organization  we  should  be  doing  a  positive  in- 
jury and  wrong  to  the  churches  of  Christ  estab- 
lished at  Amoy,  and  that  our  duty  to  the  Master 


2  20  Church    Union. 

and  His  people  here  forbids  this.  Therefore,  our 
answer  to  the  action  of  General  S}'nod  must  be 
and  is  that  we  cannot  be  made  the  instruments  of 
carrying  out  the  wishes  of  Synod  in  this  report ; 
and  further,  if  Synod  is  determined  that  such  an 
organization  must  be  effected,  we  can  see  no  other 
way  than  to  recall  us  and  send  hither  men  who  see 
clearly  their  way  to  do  that  which  to  us  seems 
wrong. 

"  We  regret  the  reasons  which  have  led  us  to 
this  conclusion.  We  have  thought  it  best  that 
each  member  of  the  Mission  should  forward  to  you 
his  individual  views  on  this  subject,  rather  than 
embody  them  in  the  present  communication. 

"  We  accordingly  refer  you  to  these  separate 
statements  which  will  be  sent  to  you  as  soon  as 
prepared. 

"  Commending  you,  dear  brethren,  to  our  com- 
mon Lord,  whose  servants  we  all  are,  and  praying 
that  He  will  guide  us  into  all  truth,  we  are  as  ever, 
"  Your  brethren  in  Christ 
E.  Doty, 

A.    OSTROM, 

D.  Rapalje, 
Leonard  W.  Kip, 
Aug.  Blauvelt. 
"  Amoy,  Sept.  i6,  1863." 


Ch u rch    Un ion.  221 

The  last  action  taken  by  the  General  Synod  was 
in  June,  1864,  and  reads  as  follows: 

**  Resolved,  That  while  the  General  Synod  does 
not  deem  it  necessary  or  proper  to  change  the  mis- 
sionary policy  defined  and  adopted  in  1857,  yet,  in 
consideration  of  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the 
l^Jission  of  Amoy,  the  brethren  there  are  allowed 
to  defer  the  formation  of  a  Classis  of  Amoy  until, 
in  their  judgment,  such  a  measure  is  required  by 
the  wants  and  desires  of  the  Churches  gathered  by 
them  from  among  the  heathen." 

At  the  Centenary  Conference  on  the  Protestant 
Missions  of  the  World,  held  in  Exeter  Hall,  Lon- 
don, 1888,  Rev.  W.  J.  R.  Taylor,  D.D.,  for  many 
years  a  most  efficient  member  of  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  America, 
read  a  paper  on  "  Union  and  Co-operation  in  For- 
eign Missions,"  in  which  he  said  : 

"  Actual  union  has  been  happily  maintained  at 
Amoy,  China,  for  more  than  a  cjuarter  of  a  century 
between  the  missionaries  of  the  Reformed  (Dutch) 
Church  in  America  and  those  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  England.  Having  labored  together  in 
the  faith  of  the  Gospel,  gathering  converts  into  the 
fold  of  Christ,  and  founding  native  churches,  these 
brethren  could  not  and  would  not  spoil  the  unity 
of  those  infant   churches  by  making  two  denomi- 


2  22  Ch  u  rch   Un  ion. 

nations  out  of  one  company  of  believers  nor  would 
they  sow  in  that  virgin  soil  the  seeds  of  sectarian 
divisions  which  have  long  sundered  the  Protestant 
Churches  in  Europe  and  America.  The  result  was 
the  organization  of  the  Tai-Hoey,  or  Great  Coun- 
cil of  Elders,  which  is  neither  an  English  Presby- 
tery nor  a  Reformed  Church  Classis,  but  is  like 
them  both.  It  is  not  an  appendage  of  either  of 
these  foreign  Churches,  but  is  a  genuine  independ- 
ent Chinese  Christian  Church  holding  the  stand- 
ards and  governed  by  the  polity  of  the  twin-sister 
Churches  that  sent  them  the  Gospel  by  their  own 
messengers.  The  missionaries  retain  their  relations 
with  their  own  home  Churches  and  act  under  com- 
missions of  their  own  Church  Board  of  Missions. 
They  are  not  settled  pastors,  but  are  more  like  the 
Apostolic  Evangelists  of  New  Testament  times, — 
preachers,  teachers,  founders  of  Churches,  educa- 
tors of  the  native  ministry,  and  superintendents  of 
the  general  work  of  evangelization. 

"  This  Tai-Hoey  is  a  child  of  God,  which  was 
'  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor 
of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God.'  It  is  believed  to 
be  the  first  ecclesiastical  organization  for  actual 
union  and  co-operation  in  mission  lands  by  the 
representatives  of  churches  holding  the  Reformed 
faith  and   Presbyterial  polity.      Its  history  has  al- 


Ch urch   U?t ion.  223 

ready  been  long-  enough  to  give  the  greatest  value 
to  its  experience." 

For  seven  years,  by  tongue  and  pen,  Mr.  Tal- 
mage  advocated  the  establishment  of  an  independ- 
ent Chinese  Union  Church  of  the  Presbyterian 
order.  Even  then  the  Reformed  Church  was  not 
fully  persuaded  and  did  not  give  her  hearty  assent. 
The  resolution  of  1864  was  only  tentative.  It  was 
a  plea  for  toleration.  This  was  not  strange.  It 
was  one  of  the  earliest  efforts,  if  not  the  earliest, 
for  church  union  and  separate  autonomy  on  hea- 
then soil.  It  was  a  new  departure.  But  the  battle 
was  really  won.  The  question  was  never  broached 
again.  The  strongest  opponents  tJicji  are  the  warm- 
est friends  of  union  and  autonomy  noiv.  Thirty 
years  of  happiest  experience,  of  hearty  endorse- 
ment by  native  pastors  and  foreign  missionaries 
are  sufificient  testimony  to  the  wisdom  of  the  steps 
then  taken. 

In  November,  1864,  Mr.  Talmage  married  Miss 
Mary  E.  Van  Deventer,  and  forthwith  proceeded 
to  China,  where  he  arrived  early  in  1865. 

In  1867,  Rutgers  College,  New  Jersey,  recognized 
Mr.  Talmage's  successful  and  scholarly  labors  in 
China  for  a  period  of  full  twenty  years,  by  giving 
him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 


THE    ANTI-MISSIONARY   AGITATION. 


(225) 


THE   ANTI-MISSIONARY  AGITATION. 

Prince  Kung,  at  Sir  Rutherford  Alcock's  part- 
ing interview  with  him  in  1869,  said:  "  Yes,  we 
have  had  a  great  many  discussions,  but  we  know 
that  you  have  always  endeavored  to  do  justice,  and 
if  you  could  only  relieve  us  of  missionaries  and 
opium,  there  need  be  no  more  trouble  in  China." 

He  spoke  the  mind  of  the  of^cials,  literati,  and 
the  great  masses  of  the  people.  Heathenism  is  in- 
carnate selfishness.  How  can  a  Chinese  understand 
that  men  will  turn  their  backs  on  the  ancestral 
home,  travel  ten  thousand  miles  with  no  other  ob- 
ject but  to  do  his  countrymen  good?  The  natural 
Chinaman  cannot  receive  it.  He  suspects  us.  And 
he  has  enough  to  pillow  his  suspicion  on.  Let  him 
turn  the  points  of  the  compass.  He  sees  the  great 
North-land  in  the  hands  of  Russia.  He  sees  the 
Spaniard  tyrannizing  over  the  Philippine  Islanders. 
He  sees  Holland  dominating  the  East  Indies.  He 
sees  India's  millions  at  the  feet  of  the  British  lion. 

"What    are    these    benevolent-looking    barbarians 

(227) 


2  28      The  A nii- Missionary  Agitation. 

tramping  up  and  down  the  country  for?  Why  are 
they  estabhshing  churches  and  schools  and  hos- 
pitals ?  They  are  trying  to  buy  our  hearts  by  their 
feigned  kindness,  and  hand  us  over  to  some  West- 
ern monarch  ere  long."  So  reasons  our  unsophis- 
ticated Chinese.  He  is  heartily  satisfied  with  his 
own  religion  or  utterly  indifferent  to  any  religion. 
He  has  no  ear  for  any  new  doctrine  except  as  a 
curiosity,  to  give  momentary  amusement,  and  then 
to  be  thrown  to  the  ground  like  a  child's  toy. 

The  missionary  appears  on  the  scene  in  dead 
earnest.  "  Agitation  is  our  profession."  We  are 
among  those  "  who  are  trying  to  turn  the  world 
upside  down." 

The  Spirit  of  God  touches  and  dissolves  the 
apathy,  melts  the  ice,  breaks  the  stone,  and  we  see 
men  alive  unto  God  ;  "  old  things  are  passed  away, 
behold  all  things  are  become  new."  What  a 
change  in  the  recipient  of  God's  grace. 

A  change,  too,  takes  place  in  him  who  resists. 
Icy  apathy  becomes  burning,  bitter  hatred.  The 
whole  enginery  of  iniquity  is  set  in  motion  to  sweep 
ofT  this  strange  foreign  propaganda.  Malicious  pla- 
cards are  posted  before  every  yamen  and  temple. 
Basest  stories  are  retailed.  "  The  barbarians  dig 
out  men's  eyes  and  cut  out  men's  hearts  to  make 
medicine  of  them."     The  thirst  for  revenue  is  en- 


The  An ti- Missionary  Agitation.      229 

gendered,  until,  like  an  unleashed  tiger,  the  mob 
springs  upon  the  missionary's  home,  and  returns 
not  till  its  thirst  has  been  slaked  with  the  blood  of 
the  righteous.  That  is  the  dark  shadow  hanging 
over  missionary  life  in  nearly  every  part  of  the 
Chinese  Empire. 

We  have  had  no  name  to  add  to  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary martyr  list,  from  the  region  of  Amoy. 

Chinese  martyrs  there  may  have  been.  Men  who 
have  endured  the  lifelong  laceration  of  taunt  and 
sneer  and  suffered  the  loss  of  well-nigh  all  things, 
there  have  been  not  a  few.  Though  the  fires  of 
persecution  have  burned  with  fiercer  intensity  in 
other  parts  of  CJiina,  yet  we  have  not  escaped  hav- 
ing our  garments  singed  in  some  of  their  folds. 

Perhaps  the  most  widespread  anti-missionary  up- 
rising in  China  occurred  during  the  years  1870  and 
1871. 

It  was  during  the  summer  of  1870  that  Dr.  Tal- 
mage  was  compelled  to  go  to  Chefoo,  North  China, 
for  much-needed  rest  and  change. 

On  August  8th  he  wrote  to  Dr.  J.  M.  Ferris: 

"  The  next  day  after  my  arrival  at  Chefoo  the 
news  was  received  of  the  terrible  massacre  at  Tient- 
sin on  June  21st.  (Tientsin  is  the  port  of  Peking, 
and  has  a  population  of  upwards  of  one  million.) 
Nine    Sisters  of   Charity,   one    foreign   priest,  the 


230     The  Anti-Missionary  Agitation, 

French  consul  and  other  French  officials  and  sub- 
jects, and  three  Russians — in  all,  twenty-one  Euro- 
peans— were  massacred.  Many  of  them  were  hor- 
ribly mutilated.  Especially  is  this  true  of  all  the 
Sisters.  Their  private  residences  and  public  estab- 
lishments, as  well  as  all  the  Protestant  chapels 
within  the  city,  were  destroyed." 

Not  long  after,  the  American  Presbyterian  Mis- 
sion at  Tung- chow,  Shantung  Province,  North 
China,  was  broken  up,  for  fear  of  an  intended  mas- 
sacre. The  missionaries  were  helped  to  Chefoo  by 
two  vessels  sent  by  the  British  Admiral,  Sir  Henry 
Kellet. 

At  Canton,  vile  stories  about  foreigners  distribu- 
ting poisonous  pills  were  gotten  up,  and  such  was 
the  seriousness  of  the  crisis  that  two  German  mis- 
sionaries had  to  flee  for  their  lives,  one  having  his 
mission  premises  utterly  destroyed.  A  people 
whose  credulity  is  most  amazingly  developed  by 
feeding  on  fairy  tales  and  demon  adventures  from 
their  childhood,  are  prepared  to  believe  anything 
about  the  "  ocean  barbarians  "  whose  name  is  never 
spoken  without  mingled  fear  and  hatred  and  sus- 
picion. 

The  ferment,  started  at  Canton,  spread  along  the 
coast.  The  people  of  Amoy  were  inoculated  with 
the  virus. 


The  Aiiti-Missioiiary  Agitation.      231 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1871,  Dr.  Talmage  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  General  Le  Gendre,  U.  S.  Con- 
sul at  Amoy,  informing  him  of  the  state  of  affairs 
in  and  about  Amoy.  The  missionary  knowing  the 
language  and  having  constant  dealings  with  the 
people  would  be  more  likely  to  know  the  extent 
and  gravity  of  any  conspiracy  against  foreigners 
than  the  Consul.     A  part  of  the  letter  reads : 

"  In  July  last  inflammatory  placards  were  exten- 
sively posted  throughout  the  region  about  Canton, 
stating  that  foreigners  had  imported  a  large  quan- 
tity of  poison  and  had  hired  vagabond  Chinese  to 
distribute  it  among  the  people  ;  that  only  foreigners 
had  the  antidote  to  this  poison  and  that  they  re- 
fused to  administer  it,  except  for  large  sums  of 
money  or  to  such  persons  as  embraced  the  foreign- 
er's religion.  In  the  latter  part  of  July  some  of 
these  placards  and  letters  accompanying  them  were 
received  by  Chinese  at  Amoy  from  their  Canton 
friends.  They  were  copied,  with  changes  to  suit 
this  region,  and  extensively  circulated.  The  man 
who  seems  to  have  been  most  active  in  their  circu- 
lation was  the  Cham-hu,  the  highest  military  ofificial 
at  Amoy  under  the  Admiral.  He  united  with  the 
Hai-hong,  a  high  civil  official,  in  issuing  a  procla- 
mation, warning  the  people  to  be  on  their  guard 
against  poison,  which  wicked  people  were  circulat- 


232      The  Anti-Missionary  Agitation. 

ing.  This  proclamation  was  not  only  circulated  in 
the  city  of  Amoy,  but  also  in  the  country  around. 

"  It  did  not  mention  foreigners,  but  the  people 
by  some  other  means  were  made  to  understand 
that  foreigners  were  meant.  The  district  Magis- 
trate of  the  city  of  Chiang-chiu  issued  a  proclama- 
tion informing  the  people  of  the  danger  of  poison, 
especially  against  poison  in  their  wells.  Two  days 
later  he  issued  another  proclamation,  reiterating 
his  warnings,  and  informing  the  people  that  he  had 
arrested  and  examined  a  man  who  confessed  that 
he,  with  three  others,  had  been  employed  by  foreign- 
ers to  engage  in  this  work  of  poisoning  the  people. 

"  Their  especial  business  was  to  poison  all  the 
wells.  This  so-called  criminal  was  speedily  exe- 
cuted. 

"A  few  days  afterwards  a  military  official  at 
Chiang-chiu  also  issued  a  proclamation  to  warn  the 
people  against  poison,  and  giving  the  confession  of 
the  above-mentioned  criminal  with  great  particu- 
larity. The  criminal  is  made  to  say  that  a  few 
months  ago  he  had  been  decoyed  and  sold  to  for- 
eigners. In  company  with  more  than  fifty  others 
he  was  conveyed  by  ship  to  Macao.  There  they 
were  distributed  among  the  foreign  hongs,  one  to 
each  hong.  (Hong  is  pigeon  English  for  business 
house.) 


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The  Anti-Missionaiy  Agitation.     233 

"  That  afterwards  he  with  three  others  was  sent 
home,  being  furnished  with  poison  for  distribution, 
and  with  special  direction  to  poison  all  the  wells  on 
their  way.  They  were  to  refer  all  those  on  whom 
the  poison  took  effect  to  a  certain  individual  at 
Amoy,  who  would  heal  them  gratuitously,  only  re- 
quiring of  them  their  names.  This,  doubtless,  is 
an  allusion  to  the  hospital  for  the  Chinese  at  Amoy, 
where  the  names  of  the  patients  are  of  course  re- 
corded and  they  receive  medicine  and  medical  at- 
tendance gratuitously. 

"  In  this  confession  foreigners  are  ciesignated  by 
the  opprobrious  epithet  of  '  little  ' — that  is,  con- 
temptible— '  demons.'  This,  by  the  way,  is  a  phrase 
never  used  to  designate  foreigners  in  this  region 
except  by  those  in  the  mandarin  offices.  Besides 
the  absurdity  of  charging  foreigners  with  distribu- 
ting poison,  the  whole  confession  bears  the  evidence 
not  only  of  falsehood,  but,  if  ever  made,  of  having 
been  put  into  the  man's  mouth  by  those  inside  th.e 
mandarin  offices  and  forced  from  him  by  torture, 
for  the  express  purpose  of  exciting  the  intensest 
hatred  against  foreigners, 

'■'■  In  consequence,  excitement  and  terror  and 
hatred  to  foreigners,  and  consequently  to  native 
Christians,  became  most  intense,  and  extended 
from  the  cities  far  into  the  country  around.    Wells 


234      The  Anti-Missionary  Agitation. 

were  fenced  in  and  put  under  lock  and  cover.  Peo- 
ple were  called  together  by  the  beating  of  gongs  to 
draw  water.  The  buckets  were  covered  in  carrying 
water  to  guard  against  the  throwing  in  of  poison 
along  the  streets.  At  the  entrances  of  some  vil- 
lages notices  were  posted  warning  strangers  not  to 
enter  lest  they  be  arrested  as  poisoners.  In  various 
places  men  were  arrested  and  severely  beaten  on 
suspicion,  merely  because  they  were  strangers.  The 
native  Christians  everyw'here  were  subjected  to 
much  obloquy  and  sometimes  to  imminent  danger, 
charged  with  being  under  the  influence  of  foreign- 
ers and  employed  by  them  to  distribute  poison. 

"  Even  at  the  Amoy  hospital,  which  has  been  in 
existence  nearly  thirty  years,  the  number  of  pa- 
tients greatly  decreased ;  some  days  there  were  al- 
most none." 

In  the  large  cities  of  Tong-an  and  Chinchew 
placards  were  posted  in  great  numbers.  They 
averred  that  black  and  red  pills  were  being  sold  by 
the  agents  of  foreigners  under  pretence  of  curing 
disease  and  saving  the  world. 

Instead  they  were  causes  of  terrible  diseases 
which  none  but  the  foreign  dogs  or  their  agents 
could  cure.  And  to  get  cured,  one  must  join  the 
foreign  religion  or  else  give  great  sums.  It  was 
asserted  that  all   this  poison   emanated   fiom  the 


The  Anti-MissionaTy  Agitation.      235 

foreign  chapels,  was  often  thrown  into  wells, 
and  secretly  put  into  fish  or  other  food  in  the 
markets. 

A  preacher,  sixty  miles  from  Foochow,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  north  of  Amoy,  barely  escaped 
with  his  life.  He  was  pounded  with  stones  while 
the  bystanders  called  out,  "  Kill  the  poisoner,  the 
foreign  devils'  poisoner!" 

The  whole  object  of  this  diabolical  calumniat- 
ing was  to  kindle  the  people  into  a  frenzy  against 
foreigners,  especially  missionaries,  and  to  make  for- 
eign powers  believe  that  the  people  are  so  anti-for- 
eign that  the  authorities  cannot  secure  a  foreigner's 
safety  outside  of  the  treaty  ports. 

Even  when  these  reports  were  travelling  like 
wildfire  there  were  those  among  the  Chinese  who 
knew  better,  and  it  was  often  said,  "  It  cannot  be 
the  missionaries  and  native  Christians,  for  have 
they  not  been  going  in  and  out  among  us  all 
these  years  and  they  never  did  us  any  harm?" 

Speaking  of  the  "  Political  State  of  the  Coun- 
try," Dr.  Talmage  says: 

"With  the  atrocities  committed  at  Tientsin  the 
world  is  acquainted,  though  many  seem  still  to  be 
under  the  grievous  error  that  these  atrocities  were 
designed  only  against  Romanism  and  the  French 
nation. 


236      The  Anti-Missionary  Agitation. 


"  If  this  were  the  fact,  it  would  be  no  justifica- 
tion. Others  are  under  an  error  equally  grievous, 
that  the  Chinese  Government  has  given  reasonable 
redress.  It  has  given  no  proper  redress  at  all.  In- 
stead of  reprobating  the  massacre,  it  has  almost, 
and  doubtless  to  the  ideas  of  the  Chinese,  /ut/_y 
sanctioned  it.  The  leaders  in  the  massacre  have 
not  been  brought  to  justice.  The  Government  has 
readily  given  /i/c  for  ti'/f — a  very  easy  matter  in 
China — but  it  has  so  highly  rewarded  the  families 
of  the  victims  thus  sacrificed  to  placate  the  barba- 
rians, and  put  so  much  honor  on  the  corpses  of 
these  martyrs  to  foreign  demands,  that  it  has  en- 
couraged similar  atrocities  whenever  a  suitable 
time  shall  arrive  for  their  perpetration.  The  Im- 
perial proclamation  stating  even  this  unsatisfactory 
redress,  which  the  Government  solemnly  promised 
should  be  published  throughout  the  land,  has  not 
been  published  except  in  a  few  instances  where 
foreigners  have  compelled  it.  The  massacre  at 
Tientsin  is  known  throughout  the  empire,  but  it  is 
not  known  generally  that  any  redress  at  all  has 
been  given. 

"  Instead  of  the  publication  of  this  proclamation 
the  vilest  calumnies — too  vile  to  be  even  men- 
tioned in  Christian  ears — have  been  circulated  se- 
cretly, but  widely  throughout  the  land.     Through- 


The  Anti- Missionary  Agitation.     237 

out  the  coast  provinces  of  this  southern  h^ilf  of  the 
enapirc  the  people  have  been  warned  of  a  grand 
poisoning  scheme  gotten  up  by  foreigners  for  the 
destruction  of  the  Chinese. 

"  Because  the  foreign  residents  in  China  report 
the  truth  in  regard  to  the  feeh"ng  of  hatred  to  for- 
eigners, and  warn  the  nations  of  the  West  of  the 
corning  war  and  designed  extirpation  of  all  foreign- 
ers, for  which  China  is  assuredly  preparing  with  all  its 
might,  we  are  charged  as  being  desirous  of  bringing 
on  war.  We  know  that  the  Church  will  not  impute 
such  motives  to  her  missionaries.  But  the  testi- 
mony of  missionaries  agrees  in  this  respect  with 
that  of  other  foreign  residents.  We  see  the  evi- 
dence, as  we  walk  the  streets,  in  the  countenances 
and  demeanor  of  the  literati  and  ofificials,  and 
somewhat  in  the  countenances  and  demeanor  of 
the  masses. 

*'  We  see  it  in  the  changed  policy  of  the  local 
magistrates  toward  the  Christians ;  we  learn  it 
from  rumors  which  are  circulated  from  time  to 
time  Among  the  people  ;  w^e  see  it  in  the  activity 
manifested  in  forming  a  proper  navy  and  in  prepar- 
ing the  army. 

"  We  learn  it  from  the  secret  communications, 
some  of  which  have  reached  the  light,  passing  to 
and  fro  between  the  Imperial  Government  and  the 


238      The  Anti-Missionary  Agitation. 

higher  local  authorities,  and  we  fear  that  we  have 
another  proof  in  the  barbarous  treatment  of  a  ship- 
wrecked crew  some  two  weeks  ago  along  the  coast 
a  little  to  the  north  of  Amoy, 

"  A  British  mercantile  steamer  ran  ashore  in  a 
fog.  She  was  unarmed.  The  natives  soon  gathered 
in  force  and  attacked  the  vessel.  The  people  on 
board  attempted  to  escape  in  their  boats.  These 
boats  were  afterwards  attacked  by  a  large  fleet  of 
fishing-boats  and  separated. 

"  One  boat's  company  were  taken  ashore,  stripped 
naked,  wounded,  and  robbed  of  everything.  They 
finally  made  their  way  overland  to  Amoy.  The 
other  three  boats,  after  the  crew  and  passengers 
had  been  stripped  and  robbed,  were  let  go  to  sea. 
They  providentially  fell  in  with  a  steamer  which 
took  them  to  Foochow.  Such  atrocities  were  once 
common  here. 

"  We  do  not  believe  that  any  large  proportion  of 
the  foreign  residents  in  China  wish  war.  We  do 
wish,  however,  the  rights  secured  to  us  by  treaty. 
These,  with  a  proper  policy,  can  be  secured  with- 
out war.  We  wish  most  heartily  to  avoid  war. 
Besides  all  its  other  evils  it  would  be  a  sad  thing 
for  our  work  and  our  churches.  We  still  hope  that 
God  in  His  providence  will  ward  it  off.  He  will 
do  it   in   answer  to  our  prayers  if  so  it  be  best  for 


The  A nti- Missionary  Agitation.      239 

His  cause.     This  is  our  only  hope,  and  it  is  suffi- 
cient." 

The  threatening  war-cloud  did  blow  over,  and  a 
restraint,  at  least  temporary,  was  laid  upon  the 
officials  and  the  people  in  their  treatment  of 
foreigners. 


THE   LAST   TWO   DECADES. 


(241) 


XL 

THE  LAST  TWO  DECADES. 

Dr.  Talmage  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions, 
at  the  same  time  possessed  of  a  spirit  of  genuine 
catholicity.  The  brethren  connected  with  the 
London  and  English  Presbyterian  Missions  recog- 
nized him  as  a  true  friend.  In  his  later  years  he 
became  the  Nestor  of  the  three  Missions,  the  ven- 
erated patriarch,  the  trusted  counsellor. 

It  will  not  be  inappropriate  to  give  two  letters 
expressive  of  his  good-will  toward  his  fellow-labor- 
ers. The  one  was  written  on  the  occasion  of  Rev. 
John  Stronach's  return  to  England  : 

FORTY   CONTINUOUS   YEARS   IN    HEATHENISM. 

"March  i6,  1876.  To-day  we  said  farewell  to 
the  veteran  missionary.  Rev.  John  Stronach. 

"He  has  been  laboring  many  years  at  this  place 
in  connection  v/ith  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
This  morning  he  left  us  for  his  native  land  by  a 
new  route. 

"  Each  of  the  three  Missions  has  one  or  more 

(243) 


244  ^^^^  Last   Two  Decades. 

boats  employed  exclusively  in  carrying  missionaries 
and  native  preachers  on  their  trips  to  and  from  the 
various  outstations  accessible  by  water.  These 
boats  are  called  by  the  native  Christians  '  hok-im- 
chun,'  which  means  '  Gospel  boat.'  Mr.  Stronach 
embarked  on  one  of  these  '  Gospel  boats.'  He  ex- 
pected to  land  at  one  of  the  Mission  stations  on  the 
mainland  northeast  from  Amoy,  and  then  travel 
overland  on  foot  or  by  sedan-chair  to  Foochow. 
He  will  spend  the  remaining  nights  of  this  week 
and  the  Sabbath  at  various  stations  under  the  care 
of  the  Missions  at  Amoy,  and  say  some  parting 
words  to  the  native  Christians. 

"  He  expects  early  next  week  to  meet  one  of  the 
Methodist  missionaries  of  Foochow,  and  in  com- 
pany with  him  to  pass  on  to  that  city,  spending  the 
nights  at  stations  under  the  care  of  the  Foochow 
Missions.  We  may  now  travel  overland  from 
Amoy  to  Foochow  (a  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles)  and  spend  every  night,  sometimes  take 
our  noonday  meals,  at  a  Christian  chapel.  Does 
this  look  as  if  missions  were  a  failure  in  this  region? 
At  Foochow  Mr.  Stronach  will  take  steamer  for 
Shanghai,  thence  to  Yokohama  and  San  Francisco. 
"All  the  missionaries  of  Amoy  and  many  Chi- 
nese Christians  accompanied  Mr.  Stronach  to  the 
boac.     It  is  very  sad  to  say  farewell  to  those  with 


The  Last   Tivo  Decades.  245 

whom  we  have   been   long  and    pleasantly  associ- 
ated. 

"  Mr.  Stronach  left  England  in  1837,  thirty-nine 
years  ago,  to  labor  as  a  missionary  in  the  East 
Indies. 

"He  came  to  Amoy  in  1844,  shortly  after  this 
port  was  opened  to  foreign  commerce  and  mission- 
ary labor.  He  was  soon  sent  to  Shanghai  as  one 
of  the  Committee  of  Delegates  on  the  translation 
of  the  Scriptures  into  the  Chinese  language.  If  he 
had  done  nothing  more  for  China  than  his  share  in 
this  great  work,  the  benefit  would  have  been  incal- 
culable. After  the  completion  of  this  work  in 
1853,  l^G  returned  to  Amoy,  where  he  has  labored 
continuously,  with  the  exception  of  a  short  visit  a 
few  years  ago  to  Hongkong  and  Canton,  and  a 
shorter  one  last  year  to  Foochow.  Very  rarely  has 
he  been  interrupted  in  his  work  by  illness.  In  the 
history  of  modern  missions  few  instances  can  be 
found  of  missionaries  who  have  been  permitted  to 
labor  uninterruptedly  for  nearly  forty  years,  not 
even  taking  one  furlough  home. 

"  In  the  case  of  Mr.  Stronach  the  language  con- 
cerning Moses  may  be  literally  applied,  '  His  eye  is 
not  dim,  nor  his  natural  force  abated.'  He  does 
not  yet  have  occasion  to  use  spectacles,  and  the 
route  he  has  taken  proves  him  still  full  of  mental 


246  The  Last   Tzvo  Decades. 

and  physical  vigor.  Think  of  the  discoveries  and 
inventions  during  the  last  forty  years !  Will  Mr. 
Stronach  recognize  his  native  land  ?  The  good 
hand  of  the  Lord  be  with  him  and  make  his  re- 
maining years  as  happy  as  his  past  ones  have  been 
useful." 

The  other  letter,  to  Rev,  John  M.  Ferris,  D.D., 
was  written  on  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  the 
Rev.  Carstairs  Douglas,  LL.D.,  one  of  the  most 
accomplished  and  scholarly  men  ever  sent  to  any 
mission  field: 

"August  8,  1877. 
"  By  this  mail  we  have  sad  news  to  send.  It  re- 
lates to  the  death  of  Rev.  Carstairs  Douglas,  LL.D., 
of  the  English  Presbyterian  Mission  at  Amoy.  He 
was  the  senior  member  of  that  Mission,  having  ar- 
rived at  Amoy,  July,  1855,  twenty-two  years  ago. 

"  Dr.  Douglas,  two  weeks  ago  to-day,  was  in 
apparent  good  health.  On  that  day  he  made 
calls  on  several  members  of  the  foreign  com- 
munity. To  some  of  them  he  remarked,  con- 
cerning his  health,  that  he  had  never  felt  better. 
That  evening  he  was  in  his  usual  place  in  our 
weekly  prayer-meeting.  The  next  morning  at  four 
o'clock  he  began  to  feel  unwell,  but  did  not  wish 
to  disturb  others,  so  called  no  one  until  about  half- 
past  six.     Then  some  medicine  was  given  him  and 


The  Last   Two  Decades.  247 

he  sat  down  at  his  study-table  for  the  morning 
readhig  of  his  Hebrew  Bible.  About  an  hour  after 
this  he  became  much  worse  and  the  doctor  was 
sent  for.  On  his  arrival  the  physician  pronounced 
his  disease  to  be  cholera  of  the  most  virulent 
type,  and  the  case  to  be  almost  without  hope  of 
recovery. 

"  In  consequence  of  our  long  and  close  intimacy 
word  was  soon  sent  to  me.  I  hastened  to  see  him. 
He  was  already  very  weak  and  could  not  converse 
without  great  effort.  Everything  was  done  for 
him  that  could  be  done.  But  he  continued  failing 
until  about  a  quarter  before  six  in  the  afternoon, 
July  26th,  when  he  breathed  his  last.  He  knew  what 
his  disease  was  and  what  would  probably  be  its  termi- 
nation, but  evidently  the  King  of  Terrors  had  no 
terror  for  him.  His  end  was  peace.  He  retained 
his  consciousness  nearly  to  the  last. 

"  He  was  to  have  preached  in  our  English  chapel 
to  the  foreign  community  on  the  following  Sabbath 
morning.  He  told  us  his  text  was  Romans  vi.  23, 
'The  wages  of  sin  is  death,  but  the  gift  of  God  is 
eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.'  The 
text  was  so  suitable  to  the  occasion  that  I  took  it, 
and  in  his  place  on  the  next  Sabbath  morning 
preached  his  funeral  sermon  from  his  own  text. 

"  By  overwork    he    had   worn    himself  out.    and 


248  The  Last   Tzvo  Decades. 

made  himself  an  old  man  while  he  was  yet  compara- 
tively young  in  years.  He  came  to  China  quite 
young,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  only  about 
forty-six  years  of  age,  and  yet  men  who  had  recently 
become  acquainted  with  him  thought  him  over 
sixty.  Is  any  one  inclined  to  blame  him  too  much 
for  this,  as  though  he  wore  himself  out  and  sacrificed 
his  life  before  the  time?  If  so,  he  did  it  in  a  good 
cause  and  for  a  good  Master.  Besides  this,  he  did 
more  work  during  the  twenty-two  years  of  his  mis- 
sionary life  than  the  most  of  men  accomplish  in 
twice  that  time.  And  then,  he  reminds  us  of  One, 
who  when  only  a  little  over  thirty  years  of  age, 
from  similar  causes,  seems  to  have  acquired  the 
appearance  of  nearly  fifty  (John  viii.  57). 

"  Recently,  especially  during  the  last  year,  it  was 
manifest,  at  least  to  others,  that  his  physical 
strength  was  fast  giving  way.  Yet  he  could  not  be 
prevailed  upon  to  leave  his  field  for  a  season  for 
temporary  rest,  or  even  to  lessen  the  amount  of  his 
work. 

"  I  never  knew  a  more  incessant  worker.  He 
was  a  man  of  most  extensive  general  information. 
I  think  I  have  never  met  with  his  equal  in  this  re- 
spect. He  was  acquainted  with  several  modern 
European  languages  and  was  a  thorough  student  of 
the  original  languages  of  Holy  Scripture,  as  wit- 


The  Last   I  zvo  Decades.  249 

ness  the  fact  of  his  study  of  the  Hebrew  Bible,  even 
after  his  last  sickness  had  commenced.  As  regards 
the  Chinese  language,  he  was  already  taking  his 
place  among  the  first  sinologues  of  the  land.  We 
were  indebted  more  to  him,  perhaps,  than  to  any 
other  one  man  for  the  success  of  the  recent  General 
Missionary  Conference  (at  Shanghai). 

[At  this  first  General  Conference  of  the  Protest- 
ant missionaries  of  China,  held  at  Shanghai  in  May, 
1877,  Dr.  Talmage  preached  the  opening  sermon 
and  read  a  paper,  the  title  of  which  was,  "  Should 
the  native  churches  in  China  be  united  ecclesi- 
astically and  independent  of  foreign  churches  and 
societies?  "] 

"  As  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Arrange- 
ments he  labored  indefatigably  by  writing  letters 
and  in  other  ways  to  make  it  a  success,  and  though 
comparatively  so  young,  he  well  deserved  the 
honor  bestowed  on  him  in  making  him  one  of  the 
presidents  of  that  body.  '  Know  ye  not  that  there 
is  a  prince  and  a  great  man  fallen  this  day  in 
Israel ? ' 

"  This  is  a  great  blow  to  the  English  Presbyterian 
Mission  in  this  place.  It  is  also,  because  of  the  in- 
timate relations  of  the  two  missions  and  the  one- 
ness of  the  churches  under  our  care,  a  great  blow 
to   us.     It   is  a  g^'eat  blow  to  the  whole  mission 


250  The  Last   Tivo  Decades. 

work  in  China — greater,  perhaps,  than  the  loss  of 
any  other  man.  You  will  not  wonder  that  I,  from 
my  long  intimacy  with  him,  feel  the  loss  deeply, 
more  and  more  deeply  every  day  and  week,  as  the 
days  and  weeks  pass  away  without  him." 

CHINESE   GRANDILOQUENCE. 

An  episode  in  connection  with  the  visit  to  China 
in  1878  of  Dr.  Jacob  Chamberlain,  of  the  Arcot 
Mission,  is  described  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Goyn  Tal- 
mage,  as  follov/s : 

"Dear  Goyn:  I  suppose  I  told  you  about  the 
pleasant  visit  we  had  from  Dr.  Chamberlain  and 
family.  The  Doctor  went  with  me  to  Chiang-chiu. 
While  there  his  carpet-bag  was  stolen  out  of  the 
boat.  We  reported  the  case  to  a  military  officer, 
and  told  him  that  we  wanted  the  bag  very  much, 
and  if  he  could  get  it  for  us,  we  should  make  no 
trouble  about  having  the  thief  punished.  In  a  few 
days  after  our  return  to  Amoy  the  bag  was  sent  to 
us  with  all  its  contents  complete.  We  bought  an 
umbrella — a  nice  silk  one — and  sent  it  up  to  the 
officer  as  a  present.  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  see 
a  translation  of  the  letter  he  sent  in  reply.  It  will 
illustrate  Chinese  politeness.  The  letter  reads  as 
follows : 

" '  When  the  flocks  of  wild  ireese  make  their  or- 


r. 

H 

o 
r 
o 

X 

z 

o 

H 

C 

> 

o 

k 

■T3 

> 

o 

o 

tn 

M 

H 

W 

g 

> 

> 

g 

i2 

o 

en 

The  Last   Two  Decades.  251 

derly  flight, — the  glorious  autumnal  season  deserv- 
ing of  laudation, — my  thoughts  wander  far  away  to 
you.  Teacher  Talmage,  whose  noble  presence  is  wor- 
thy to  be  saluted  with  bow  profound,  and  whose 
dignified  manners  invite  to  close  intimacy.  Alas, 
that  our  acquaintance  should  have  been  formed  at 
this  late  day ! — and  that,  too,  when,  by  wafting  and 
by  the  plying  of  oars,  having  arrived  at  '  the  stream 
of  the  fragrant  grain  fields '  (poetic  name  for  the 
region  of  Chiang-chiu),  you  met  with  the  mishap 
of  doggish  thieves  taking  advantage  of  your  want 
of  watchfulness  !  Truly,  the  blame  of  this  rests  on 
me.  How,  then,  can  I  have  the  hardihood  to  re- 
ceive from  you  a  present  of  value  !  A  reward  of 
demerit,  how  can  I  endure  it !  During  the 
three  stages  of  life,  (youth,  middle  age,  and  old 
age,)  I  shall  not  be  able  to  repay.  It  is  only  by 
inheritance  (not  by  my  own  merit)  that  I  obtained 
the  imperial  favor  of  ofifice.  Thus,  my  deficiency 
in  the  knowledge  of  ofificial  laws  and  governmental 
regulations  has  subjected  you  to  fear  and  anxiety. 
Shame  on  me  in  the  extreme  !  shame  in  the  extreme  ! 
Only  by  the  greatest  stretch  could  I  hope  to  meet 
with  forbearance,  how  then  could  you  take  trouble 
and  manifest  kindness  by  sending  a  present. 
Writing  cannot  exhaust  my  words,  and  words  can 
not  exhaust  my  meaning.     It  will  be  necessary  to 


252  The  Last   Tivo  Decades. 


come  and  express  my  thanks  in  person.  Such 
are  my  suppHcations  and  such  is  my  sense  of 
obligation.  May  there  be  golden  peace  to  you, 
Teacher  Talmage,  and  will  your  excellency  please 
bestow  your  brilliant  glance  on  what  I  have 
written ! ' 

"  Is  not  that  a  specimen  of  humility?  The  steal- 
ing was  because  of  his  neglect  of  duty,  and  his  neg- 
lect of  duty  was  because  of  inability,  having  ob- 
tained his  office  through  the  merit  of  his  father 
or  grandfather.  Of  course  he  kept  the  um- 
brella." 

August  18,  18S7,  marked  the  fortieth  anniversary 
of  Dr.  Talmage's  arrival  in  China.  He  said  so  lit- 
tle about  it,  however,  that  it  was  not  known  by  the 
friends  of  the  other  missions  until  the  very  day 
dawned. 

The  members  of  the  English  Presbyterian  Mis- 
sion—  ladies  and  gentlemen  —  immediately  con- 
cluded to  secure  some  suitable  memento  expressive 
of  their  regard  for  Dr.  Talmage  and  his  work.  A 
set  of  Macaulay's  History  of  England,  bound  in 
tree  calf,  and  a  finely  bound  copy  of  the  latest  edi- 
tion of  the  Royal  Atlas,  were  sent  for.  In  connec- 
tion with  the  presentation  the  following  letter  from 
Rev.  W.  McGreeor  was  read  : 


The  Last    Two  Decades.  253 

"Amoy,  April  3,  1888. 
"Dear  Dr.  Talmage: 

"When  on  tlie  i8th  of  last  August  we  learned 
that  that  day  was  the  fortieth  anniversary  of  your 
arrival  in  China,  the  news  came  upon  us  unexpect- 
edly. We  wished  we  had  had  more  forethought 
and  kept  better  count  of  the  years,  so  that  we 
might  have  made  more  of  the  occasion.  Each  of 
us  felt  a  desire  to  present  you  with  some  token  of 
our  regard,  and  it  seemed  to  us  for  many  reasons 
best  that  we  should  do  so  unitedly  as  members  of 
the  English  Presbyterian  Mission  in  Amoy.  We 
had  at  the  time  nothing  suitable  to  offer  }'ou,  but 
we  agreed  on  certain  books  to  be  sent  for, — not  as 
having  any  special  relations  to  the  work  in  which 
you  have  been  engaged,  but  as  being  each  a  stand- 
ard work  of  its  kind.  The  books  have  now  arrived, 
and  I  have  much  pleasure  in  sending  them  to 
you  as  something  that  may  be  kept  in  your  family 
as  a  memorial  of  the  day.  and  a  small  token  of  our 
high  esteem  for  yourself  personally  and  of  the 
great  value  we  attach  to  the  work  you  have  done 
in  the  service  of  our  common  Lord. 

"  I  am,  yours  truly, 

"Wm.  McGregor. 

"  On  behalf  of  the  members  of  the  English  Pres- 
byterian Mission,  Amoy." 


254  T^^^^  Last    Tzvo  Decades. 


Dr.  Talmage  was  blessed  with  a  most  vigorous 
physical  constitution,  but  years  of  struggle  with 
one  of  the  complaints  peculiar  to  the  tropics,  finally 
compelled  his  retirement  from  the  Mission  field. 

In  the  summer  of  IcSSq,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Talmage 
embarked  on  the  steamship  Arabia  for  the  United 
States.  Dr.  Talmage  turned  his  face  to  the  old 
home-village,  Boundbrook,  New  Jersey,  all  the  time 
cherishing  the  hope  of  one  more  return  to  China 
and  his  laying  down  the  shepherd's  crook  and  robe 
among  the  flock  he  had  gathered  from  among  the 
heathen.  That  hope  was  not  to  be  realized. 
Though  he  had  left  Amoy,  yet  he  ceased  not  to  do 
what  he  could  for  the  work  there.  Though  com- 
pelled to  lie  on  his  back  much  of  the  time,  making 
writing  dif^cult,  he  sent  letters  to  the  Chinese 
Monthly  Magazine  and  to  not  a  few  of  the  pastors, 
encouraging  them  in  their  labors.  Chiefly  did  he 
devote  himself  to  the  completion  of  a  Character- 
Colloquial  Dictionary  in  the  Amoy  language,  in- 
tended to  be  of  special  service  to  the  Chinese  Chris- 
tian Church.  It  was  intended  to  facilitate  the 
study  of  the  Chinese  Character,  especially  those 
Characters  used  in  the  Chinese  Bible,  It  was  also 
calculated  to  promote  the  study  of  the  Romanized 
Colloquial  Version  of  the  Scriptures  as  well  as  other 
Romanized  Colloquial  literature. 


The  Last   Tzuo  Decades.  255 

In  the  midst  of  multiplied  duties  and  many  dis- 
tractions he  had  wrought  on  it  for  upwards  of  a 
score  of  years.  He  was  eager  to  make  it  thorough- 
ly reliable.  He  spared  no  pains  to  that  end.  He 
always  felt  very  much  out  of  patience  with  any  one 
who  would  give  to  the  public  an  inaccurate  book ; 
and  it  was  the  desire  to  make  his  dictionary  as  ac- 
curate as  possible  that  kept  him  from  having  it 
published  some  years  since. 

He  consulted  Chinese  literary  men.  He  pored 
over  Chinese  dictionaries.  He  brought  it  home 
with  him,  requiring,  as  he  thought,  still  further  re- 
vision, and  his  last  labors  were  the  completion  of  it 
with  the  valued  assistance  of  the  Rev.  Daniel  Ra- 
palje,  of  the  Amoy  Mission.  It  is  now  going 
through  the  press  and  will  soon  be  at  the  service 
of  missionaries  and  native  brethren  who  have  eafjcr- 
ly  awaited  its  appearance  for  many  years. 

His  strength  gradually  failed  and  on  August  19, 
1892,  in  his  seventy-third  year,  he  quietly  breathed 
his  last  at  Boundbrook,  New  Jersey. 

The  mortal  tent  loosened  down  and  folded  was 
laid  away  in  the  family  plot  near  Somerville,  New 
Jersey.  Most  of  his  living,  working  years  he  had 
spent  far  away  from  the  ancestral  home.  It  was 
God's  will  that  his  dust  should  find  a  place  next  to 
the  kindred  dust  of  father  and  mother,  sister  and 


256  The  Last    Two  Decades. 

brother,  in  the  peaceful  God's  acre  but  a  few  miles 
from  the  old  homestead. 

Dr.  Talmage  left  a  wife,  two  daughters  and  three 
sons,  and  a  goodly  circle  of  relatives  and  friends  to 
mourn  his  departure.  Mrs.  Talmage  has  since  re- 
turned to  the  Talmage  Manse  at  Amoy  and  taken 
up  afresh  her  chosen  work  in  educating  the  ill-privi- 
leged and  ignorant  women  of  China.  The  two 
daughters,  Miss  Katharine  and  Miss  Mary,  are  ren- 
dering most  faithful  and  efficient  service,  too, 
among  China's  mothers  and  daughters.  Rev.  Da- 
vid M.  Talmage  fills  a  pastorate  with  the  Reformed 
Church  of  Westwood,  New  Jersey,  Mr.  John  Tal- 
mage is  a  rice  merchant  at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana. 
Rev.  George  E.  Talmage  ministers  to  the  Lord's 
people  at  Mott  Haven,  New  York. 

When  the  sun  of  Dr.  Talmage's  life  set,  it  was  to 
the  Chinese  brethren  at  Amoy,  like  the  setting  of  a 
great  hope.  The  venerable  teacher  had  left  them  two 
years  before,  but  he  had  not  spoken  a  final  farewell. 
They  and  he  looked  for  one  more  meeting  on 
,earth.  He  was  known  to  the  whole  Chinese  Church 
in  and  about  Amoy  for  a  circuit  of  a  hundred 
miles.  He  sat  at  its  cradle.  He  watched  its 
growth  until  within  two  years  of  the  day  when  it 
went  forth  two  bands  united  in  one  Synod  with 
twenty   organized,  self-supporting    churches,  nine- 


\   ' 


The  Last  Two  Decades.  257 

teen  native  pastors,  upwards  of  two  thousand  com- 
municants and  six  thousand  adherents. 

In  the  many  breaks  that  occur  in  the  missionary 
constituency,  his  hfe  was  the  one  chain  of  continuity. 
The  Churches  had  come  to  feel  that  whoever  failed 
them,  they  had  Teacher  Talmage  still.  His  de- 
parture was  like  the  falling  down  of  a  venerable 
cathedral,  leaving  the  broken  and  bleeding  ivy 
among  the  dust  and  debris.  The  Chinese  Chris- 
tians had  leaned  hard  upon  him.  They  loved  and 
revered  him  as  a  father.  Since  he  passed  away  his 
name  has  seldom  been  mentioned  in  any  public  as- 
sembly of  the  Church  by  any  of  the  Chinese  breth- 
ren without  the  broken  and  trembling  utterance 
that  has  called  forth  from  a  listening  congregation 
the  silent,  sympathetic  tear. 

Great  and  good  man,  fervent  preacher,  inspiring 
teacher,  wise  and  sympathetic  counselor,  generous 
friend,  affectionate  father, — farewell,  till  the  morn- 
ing breaks  and  we  meet  in  the  City  of  Light. 
"  And  behold  these  shall  come  from  far,  and  lo, 
these  from  the  north,  and  from  the  west,  and  these 
from  the  land  of  Sinim." 

"  Oh  then  what  raptured  greetings, 
What  knitting  severed  friendships  up, 
Where  partings  are  no  more." 


1 


IN   MEMORIAM. 


(259) 


XII. 

IN  MEMORIAM. 

DR.     TALMAGE  —  THE     MAN. 
BY   REV.    W.   S.   SWANSON,   D.D.* 

My  first  meeting  with  Dr.  Talmage  took  place 
in  the  early  days  of  July,  i860,  and  from  that  day 
till  the  day  of  his  death  he  was  regarded  as  not 
only  one  of  the  best  and  most  valued  friends, 
but  I  looked  up  to  him  as  a  father  beloved  and 
respected. 

One  cannot  help  recalling  now  the  impressions 
of  those  early  days.  There  was  a  marked  individ- 
uality about  this  man  that  made  you  regard  him 
whether  you  would  or  not.  You  felt  that  he  was  a 
man  bound  to  lead  and  to  take  the  foremost  place 
amongst  his  brethren  and  all  with  whom  he  came  in 

*  Dr.  Swanson  was  for  twenty  years  a  valued  member  of 
the  English  Presbyterian  Mission  at  Amoy,  and  subse- 
quently Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  England  until  his  death,  November 
24,  1893. 

(261) 


262  In  Memoriani. 

touch.  There  was  a  firmness  of  tread,  and  the 
brave  courage  of  conviction,  united  with  a  womanly- 
tenderness,  that  were  unmistakable. 

You  saw  he  had  made  up  his  mind  before  he 
spoke,  and  that  when  he  did  speak  he  spoke  with  a 
fulness  of  knowledge  that  few  men  possessed.  He 
was  every  inch  of  him  a  man. 

And  what  touched  us  very  much,  who  were 
young  micn,  was  the  tender  forbearance  with  which 
he  always  treated  us.  We  saw  this  more  clearly  as 
the  years  passed  on,  and  learned  how  much,  per- 
haps, he  had  to  bear  from  some  of  us  whose  assert- 
iveness  in  some  matters  was  in  the  inverse  ratio  of 
our  knowledge.  The  reference  here  is  to  matters 
and  methods  regarding  our  work  as  missionaries  to 
the  Chinese.  He  bore  with  us,  and  knew  well  the 
day  would  come  when,  with  increasing  knowledge, 
there  would  come  increasing  hesitation  in  pro- 
nouncing too  hastily  on  the  problems  we  had  to 
face ;  and  he  knew  well  that  day  would  come  if 
there  was  anything  in  us  at  all. 

In  my  own  study  of  the  Chinese  language  he  and 
another  who  also  has  gone  to  the  "  better  land  " — 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Douglas — assisted  in  every  possible 
way ;  and  to  both  in  this  line  am  I  indebted  for 
what  was  the  most  important  furnishing  in  the  first 
instance  for  every  missionary  to  China.     I  can  well 


In  Memoriam.  263 

remember   the    plane    upon    which    Dr.    Talmage 
placed  this  study  of  the  language. 

It  was  our  work  for  Christ,  at  this  stage  a  far 
more  important  one  than  any  other.  He  encour- 
aged us  to  use  whatever  vocables  we  had  got,  no 
matter  whether  we  were  met  with  the  wondering 
smile  of  the  Chinaman  in  his  vain  endeavor  to 
understand  us,  or  to  keep  from  misunderstanding 
us. 

"  Use  whatever  you  have  got,  be  glad  when  you 
are  corrected,  but  use  your  words,"  To  some  of 
us  the  advice  was  invaluable. 

And  in  other  ways  the  same  spirit  was  manifest. 
He  did  all  he  could  to  get  us  to  attend  every  Chris- 
tian gathering,  to  sit  and  listen  to  the  business  of 
the  Sessions,  and  to  show  the  Chinese  as  soon  as 
possible  that  we  were  one  with  them,  and  he  suc- 
ceeded. There  was  an  enthusiasm  and  warmth 
distinguishing  these  early  days  of  the  Amoy  church 
that  were  formative  in  a  very  high  degree,  and  that 
are  now  a  precious  memory. 

Then  Dr.  Talmage  was  a  scholar,  with  a  very 
wide  range  of  scholarship.  We  looked  up  to  him 
and  we  respected  him,  with  an  esteem  few  men 
have  ever  won.  And  in  conjunction  with  his 
scholarly  furnishing  there  was  an  absorbing,  con- 
suming zeal  for  Christ  and   His  kingdom,  and  an 


264  In  Memoriam. 


intense  love  for  the  Chinese  people.  If  he  had  not 
this  latter,  he  could  not  have  been  the  unmistak- 
ably influential  and  successful  missionary  he  was. 
These,  coupled  with  a  Christian  walk  and  devotion, 
formed  the  furnishing  of  this  man  of  God. 

He  was  also  a  true  gentleman,  a  Christian  gentle- 
man in  every  sense  of  the  word.  The  best  proof 
of  this  was  that  we  loved  him,  and  if  the  foreign 
ladies  in  Amoy  who  knew  him  were  asked  what 
they  thought  of  him — many  of  them  have  gone  to 
rest — they  would  hardly  get  words  to  tell  out  all 
their  respect  and  love  for  him.  His  visits  in  our 
houses  were  most  welcome,  and  when  he  spent  an 
evening  with  us  there  was  always  sunshine  where 
he  was.  He  was  essentially  a  happy  man,  and 
nothing  pleased  him  more  than  to  see  all  happy 
around  him. 

There  is  still  one  point  to  which  reference  must 
here  be  made.  Missionaries  were  not  the  only  for- 
eign residents  in  Amoy.  There  was  also  a  con- 
siderable number  of  American  and  European  mer- 
chants. Unfortunately  the  missionaries  and  the 
merchants  did  not  always  see  eye  to  eye.  Dr.  Tal- 
mage  was  a  favorite  with  every  one  of  them.  They 
esteemed  him,  they  would  have  done  anything  to 
serve  him  ;  and  at  no  cost  of  principle  or  testimony 
he  won  this  place  with  them. 


/;/  Mcmoriani.  265 

And  to  those  who  know  the  conditions  of  life  in 
Ciiina,  it  will  be  at  once  understood  what  a  man  he 
must  have  been  to  win  such  a  position. 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  in  Amoy  we 
have  a  "  Union  English  Church,"  with  regular  Sab- 
bath services  in  English.  These  services  were  con- 
ducted by  the  missionaries  in  turn.  And  we  fear  it 
may  also  not  be  known  what  Dr.  Talmage's  powers 
as  a  preacher  were.  He  was  a  very  prince  among 
English  preachers ;  and  if  he  had  remained  in 
America  this  would  very  soon  have  been  acknowl- 
edged. There  were  no  tricks  or  devices  of  manner 
or  words  employed  by  him  for  winning  the  popular 
ear.  He  never  seemed  to  forget  the  solemnity  and 
responsibility  of  his  position  in  the  pulpit.  He 
hesitated  not  "  to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of 
God."  He  stands  before  me  now  as  I  listen  with 
bated  breath  to  the  fire  of  his  eloquence,  denounc- 
ing where  denunciation  was  needed,  contending 
with  a  burning  earnestness  that  never  failed  to 
carry  us  with  him,  for  "the  faith  once  delivered  to 
the  saints,"  and  then  with  exquisite  tenderness 
seeking  to  draw  his  hearers  to  Him  who  is  Saviour 
and  Brother.  He  never  failed  to  think  and  speak 
as  much  about  temptation  as  about  sin.  It  was  a 
real  feast  to  attend  the  English  service  when  it  was 
conducted    by  him.     And    during  all   my  time  in 


266  In  Memoriam. 


Amoy  there  was  always  a  large  congregation  when 
Dr.  Talmage  was  the  preacher. 

He  was  not  all  tenderness.  He  would  only 
have  been  a  one-sided  man  if  this  were  all.  He 
was  as  strong  as  he  was  tender ;  a  keen  and  pow- 
erful opponent  in  discussion.  And  we  often  had 
very  warm  and  keen  discussions;  keener  and 
warmer  than  I  had  ever  seen  before  I  went  to 
Amoy,  or  have  ever  seen  since.  We  had  to  dis- 
cuss principles  and  methods  of  translation,  hymn- 
ology,  Church  work,  Church  discipline,  and  many 
other  subjects.  And  there  was  no  mincing  of  mat- 
ters at  these  discussions.  Foremost  amongst  us 
was  Dr.  Talmage,  tenaciously  and  persistently  ad- 
vocating the  view  he  happened  to  have  taken  on 
any  question.  There  were  men  of  very  strong  in- 
dividuality among  us,  and  these  gave  as  good  as 
they  got.  I  can  recall  these  scenes,  but  I  cannot 
recall  a  single  word  he  said  that  involved  a  per- 
sonal wound  or  left  a  barb.  When  it  was  all  over 
he  was  the  same  loving  brother,  and  not  an  atom 
of  bitterness  was  left  behind.  By  us,  the  brethren 
of  the  English  Presbyterian  Mission,  he  was  looked 
up  to  as  a  revered  father,  just  as  much  as  he  was 
by  the  brethren  of  his  own  Mission.  This  will  be 
seen  more  fully  further  on,  and  a  simple  statement 
of  the  fact  is  all  that  is  necessary  here. 


In  Memoria7Jt.  267 


There  is  another  and  most  sacred  relation — his 
position  as  the  head  of  a  family, — the  veil  of  which 
it  seems  almost  sacrilege  to  uplift.  But  it  must  be 
said,  and  it  is  only  a  well-known  fact,  that  few  hap- 
pier homes  exist  than  his  home  was.  He  was  there 
what  he  was  elsewhere,  the  man  of  God. 

Dr.  Talmage  was  not  perfect.  He  was  essen- 
tially a  humble  man,  and  he  would  be  the  first  to 
tell  us  that  of  every  sinner  saved  by  grace,  he  was 
the  most  unworthy.  And  when  he  said  it,  he  felt 
it.  And  he  had  not  the  very  most  distant  idea  how 
great  a  man  he  was.  Sometimes  one  fears  that  this 
very  modesty  pushed  to  an  extreme  prevented 
others  who  did  not  know  his  life  and  his  work  from 
accurately  gauging  his  real  work.  Better  perhaps, 
he  would  say,  that  it  should  be  so ;  better  to  think 
of  the  work  than  of  the  workers.  To  hold  up  Christ 
and  to  be  hidden  behind  Him  is  the  highest  privi- 
lege of  those  engaged  in  the  service  of  this  King. 
And  this,  his  uniform  bearing,  made  him  all  the 
greater. 

DR.  TALMAGE — THE   MISSIONARY. 

It  would  be  useless  speculation  to  lay  down  here 
what  should  be  the  special  qualifications  of  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  Chinese.  The  better  way  is  to  find 
them  HI  the  concrete,  so  far  as  you  can  do  so  in  an 


268  In  Alcinoi'iaui. 


individual,  and  set  him  forth  as  an  example  for  oth- 
ers. The  friend  of  whom  we  write  would  deprecate 
this,  but  it  is  the  only  way  in  which  we  can  see  him 
as  he  was  and  account  for  the  singularly  prominent 
place  he  occupied  amongst  us. 

I  do  not  need  to  say  here  that  he  was  a  man  of 
faith  and  prayer,  earnest  and  zealous  for  the  spread 
of  Christ's  Kingdom  ;  in  the  face  of  difficulties  and 
dangers,  of  disappointments  and  failure:\  maintain- 
ing an  unwavering  faith  that  the  Kingdom  must 
come  and  would  yet  rule  over  all. 

He  had  both  an  intense  love  for  his  work  and 
enthusiasm  in  carrying  it  on.  He  came  with  a  defi- 
nite message  to  the  people  to  whom  the  Master 
had  sent  him.  There  was  no  apologizing  for  it,  no 
watering  it  down,  no  uncertain  sound  about  it  with 
him.  Christ  and  Christ  alone  can  meet  the  wants 
and  woes  of  humanity, — Chinese  or  American  or 
British.  He  had  no  doubt  about  it  whatever;  and 
hereby  some  of  us  learned  that  if  we  had  not  this 
message  it  would  have  been  far  better  for  us  to 
have  stayed  at  home.  And  this  feature  marked 
him  all  over  his  course.  You  felt  as  you  listened 
to  his  pleadings  that  sin  and  salvation  were  terms 
brimful  of  meaning  to  him.  He  had  travelled  this 
road,  and  all  his  pleadings  seemed  to  be  summed 
up  in  the  one  yearning  cry,  "  Come  with  us  and  we 


In  Memoriam.  269 

will  do  thee  good."  "This  is  a. faithful  saying  and 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus  came 
into  the  world  to  save  sinners."  And  he  would 
have  gone  to  the  end,  "  of  whom  I  am  chief." 

Then  he  had  a  great  love  for  the  people.  He 
made  himself  acquainted  with  the  family  and  social 
conditions  of  the  people.  He  had  not  come  to 
Americanize  but  to  Christianize  the  Chinese.  And 
for  this  he  equipped  himself.  I  never  saw  him  so 
happy  as  when  he  was  surrounded  by  them.  He 
was  then  in  his  real  element,  answering  their  ques- 
tions, solving  their  difficulties,  opening  up  to  them 
the  Scriptures,  and  meeting  them  wherever  he 
thought  they  needed  to  be  met.  And  go  to  his 
study  when  you  liked,  you  almost  always  found 
some  Chinese  Christians  there.  He  was  the  great 
referee,  to  whom  they  carried  home  difficulties  and 
family  trials,  assured  that  his  sympathy  and  advice 
would  never  be  denied  them.  This  endeared  him 
to  them  in  an  extraordinary  manner.  We  never  on 
such  occasions  found  a  trace  of  impatience  with 
him.  What  would  have  annoyed  others  did  not 
seem  to  annoy  him,  and  the  consequence  was  that 
the  whole  church  loved  him.  There  was  an  inex- 
haustible well  of  tenderness  in  the  man's  nature, 
and  it  was  sweetened  by  the  grace  of  God  in  his 
heart. 


270  hi  Memoriam. 


We  sometimes  thought  he  erred  by  excess  in  this 
particular.  He  was  unwilHng  to  think  anything 
but  good  of  them,  and  was  thus  apt  to  be  influ- 
enced too  much  by  designing  and  astute  Chinamen. 
Often  we  have  heard  it  said,  "  Well,  if  you  won't 
listen  to  us.  Dr.  Talmage  will."  But,  looking  back 
to-day  over  it  all,  if  it  was  a  fault,  it  was  one  that 
leant  to  virtue's  side.  He  was  wonderfully  unsus- 
picious ;  and  so  far  as  his  fellow-men  were  con- 
cerned, Chinese  or  Westerns,  the  mental  process 
which  he  almost  invariably  employed  was  to  try 
to  find  out  what  good  there  was  in  a  man.  And 
now  one  loves  him  all  the  more  for  such  a  Christ- 
like spirit. 

Dr.  Talmage  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
spoken  language  of  Amoy.  Few  men,  if  any,  had 
a  more  extensive  knowledge  of  its  vocables. 

He  spoke  idiomatically  and  beautifully  as  the 
Chinese  themselves  spoke,  and  not  as  he  thought 
they  should  speak.  There  was  no  slipshod  work 
with  him  in  this  particular.  Here  was  the  indis- 
pensable furnishing  and  he  must  get  it.  And  he 
did  get  it  in  no  average  measure.  This  was  the 
prime  requisite,  and  through  no  other  avenue  could 
he  get  really  and  honestly  to  work.  There  is  no 
royal  road  to  the  acquisition  of  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage.    It   is  only  by  dint   of  hard,  plodding,  and 


In  Memoriam.  271 

persevering  study  one  can  acquire  an  adequate 
acquaintance  with  it. 

And  till  the  last  he  never  gave  up  his  study  of 
it.  He  was  not  satisfied,  and  no  true  missionary 
ever  will  be  satisfied  with  such  a  smattering  of 
knowledge  as  may  enable  him  to  proclaim  a  few 
Christian  doctrines.  Such  superficiality  was  not 
his  aim  or  end.  And  when  he  first  acquired  Chi- 
nese, it  was  more  difficult  to  do  so.  There  were 
no  aids  in  the  way  of  dictionaries  or  vocabularies. 

It  may  be  his  knowledge  of  the  language  was  all 
the  more  accurate  on  this  account.  He  got  it  from 
the  fountain-head,  and  not  through  foreign  sources. 
He  was  thus  qualified  to  take  a  prominent  place  in 
all  the  varied  work  of  a  mission — in  translation,  in 
revision,  and  in  hymnology — departments  as  import- 
ant and  as  influential  for  attaining  the  end  in  view 
as  any  other  possible  department  in  the  Mission. 

As  a  preacher  to  the  Chinese  he  was  unrivalled. 
The  people  hung  on  his  lips  and  never  seemed  to 
/ose  a  word.  He  was  in  this  respect  a  model  to 
every  one  of  us  younger  men. 

The  ideal  of  the  church  in  China  which  he 
had  set  before  him,  the  goal  he  desired  to  reach, 
was  a  native,  self-governing,  self-supporting,  and 
self-propagating  church.     This  is  now  axiomatic. 

It  was  not   so  in  those  early  days.     The  men  in 


272  In  Memoriam. 


Amoy  then  were  men  for  whom  we  have  to  thank 
God — men  ahead  of  their  time,  with  generous  and 
far-reaching  ideas;  not  working  only  for  their  own 
present,  but  laying  the  foundation  for  a  great  fu- 
ture. Side  by  side  with  him  were  the  brethren  of 
the  English  Presbyterian  Mission,  with  whom  he 
had  the  fullest  sympathy,  and  they  had  the  fullest 
sympathy  with  him.  It  is  difficult  to  say  who  were 
foremost  in  pressing  the  idea  of  an  organized  native 
church.  All  were  equally  convinced  and  strove  to- 
gether for  the  one  great  end.  After  many  years  of 
waiting  the  church  grew.  Congregations  were 
formed  and  organized  with  their  own  elders  and 
deacons,  and  in  this  he  took  the  first  steps.  He 
was  a  born  organizer.  And  then  came  the  next 
great  step,  the  creation  of  a  Presbytery  and  the 
ordination  in  an  orderly  manner  of  native  pastors. 
Some  congregations  were  ready  to  call  and  support 
such  pastors,  and  the  men  were  there,  for  the  care- 
ful training  of  native  agents  had  always  bee!i  a 
marked  feature  of  the  Amoy  Mission.  But  how 
was  it  to  be  done?  Common  sense  led  to  only  one 
conclusion.  This  church  must  not  be  an  exotic  ;  it 
must  be  native,  independent  of  the  home  churches. 
And  there  must  be  kept  in  view  what  was  a  fact  al- 
ready— the  union  between  the  Missions  of  the  "  Re- 
formed Church  "  and  of  the  "  English  Presbyterian 


In  Mcmoriam.  273 


Church."  It  must  be  done,  and  done  in  this  way, 
and  so  it  was  done. 

The  Presbytery  was  created  with  no  native  pas- 
tor in  the  first  instance,  but  with  native  elders  and 
the  missionaries  of  both  Missions.  Then  came  a 
struggle  that  would  have  tried  the  stoutest  hearts. 

The  "  Reformed  Church  "  in  America  declined 
to  recognize  this  newly-created  Presbytery.  Dr. 
Talmage  went  home  and  fought  the  battle  and  won 
the  day. 

To  its  great  honor  be  it  said,  the  General  Synod 
of  the  "  Reformed  Church  "  rescinded  its  resolution 
of  the  previous  year,  and  allowed  their  honored 
brethren,  the  missionaries,  to  take  their  own  way. 
So  convinced  were  the  missionaries  of  the  wisdom, 
yea,  the  necessity,  of  the  course  they  had  taken, 
that  they  were  prepared  to  resign  rather  than 
retrace  their  steps. 

But  that  painful  step  was  not  necessary.  The 
Synod  of  the  English  Presbyterian  Church  gave 
their  missionaries  a  free  hand.  There  is  this,  how- 
ever, to  be  said  for  the  General  Synod  of  the  "  Re- 
formed Church."  It  was  only  love  for  their  agents 
and  deep  interest  in  this  Mission  that  prompted 
their  original  action.  They  feared  that  by  the  cre- 
ation of  this  native  and  independent  church  court, 
the  tie  that  bound  them  to  the  men  and  the  work 


2  74  ^^^  Memormm. 

might  be  loosened ;  and  when  they  saw  there  was 
no  risk  of  that,  they  at  once  acquiesced.  But  it 
was  Dr.  Talmage's  irresistible  pleadings  that  won 
their  hearts. 

The  native  church  has  grown.  About  twenty 
native  pastors  have  been  ordained,  settled,  and  en- 
tirely supported  by  their  own  congregations.  The 
Presbytery  has  grown  so  large  that  it  has  to  be  di- 
vided into  two  presbyteries ;  and  these,  with  the 
Presbytery  of  Swatow,  where  brethren  of  the  "  Eng- 
lish Presbyterian  Church  "  are  working,  will  form 
the  Synod  of  the  native  Presbyterian  Church  in 
those  regions  of  China. 

In  connection  with  all  this  we  must  mention  an- 
other name — the  name  of  one  very  dear  to  Dr.  Tal- 
mage,  and  of  one  to  whom  he  was  very  dear.  They 
were  one  in  heart  and  soul  about  this.  We  refer 
to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Douglas,  of  the  English  Presby- 
terian Mission.  They  stood  side  by  side  during  all 
their  work  in  Amoy. 

Dr.  Talmage  was  by  a  good  many  years  the  pred- 
ecessor in  the  field.  They  were  both  great  men, 
men  of  very  different  temperament,  and  yet  united. 
Not  on  this  point,  but  on  many  another,  they  failed 
to  see  eye  to  eye,  but  they  were  always  united  in 
heart  and  aim.  True  and  lasting  union  can  only  exist 
where  free  play  is  given  to  distinct  individualities. 


In  Meitioriam.  275 

And  so  it  has  always  been  with  this  union,  the 
first,  I  beheve,  between  Presbyterian  Churches  in 
any  mission  field.  And  when  the  history  of  the 
Amoy  Mission  comes  to  be  written,  these  two  men 
will  have  a  leading  place  in  it ;  for  to  them  more 
than  to  any  others  do  we  owe  almost  all  that  is 
distinctive  there  in  union  and  in  methods  of  work. 

And  when  our  beloved  father  Talmage  passed 
from  earth  to  heaven,  what  thankfulness  must  have 
filled  his  heart.  In  the  night  of  his  first  years  in 
China  there  were  labor  and  toil,  but  there  was  no 
fruit  for  him.  The  dawn  came  and  the  first  con- 
verts of  his  own  Mission  were  gathered  in.  When 
he  went  to  rest,  there  was  a  native  church ;  there  ' 
were  native  pastors  ;  orderly  church  courts  ;  a  well- 
equipped  theological  college,  the  common  property 
of  the  two  Missions;  successful  medical  missionary 
work,  woman's  work  in  all  its  branches,  and  a  na- 
tive church  covering  a  more  extensive  region  than 
he  had  in  the  early  days  dreamt  of.  And  there 
was  another  honored  Mission  in  Amoy — that  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  whose  operations  have 
been  followed  by  abundant  and  singular  success. 
To  this  Mission  he  was  warmly  attached  ;  and  he 
never,  so  far  as  we  can  remember,  ceased  to  show 
the  deepest  interest  in  its  work,  and  the  heartiest 
rejoicing  at  its  success.  '" 


276  hi  Memoriam. 


And  now  he  has  gone,  the  last,  we  may  say,  of 
the  men  who  began  the  work  of  the  Presbyterian 
Mission  of  Christ  in  China;  but  ere  he  passed 
away,  he  knew  that  men  of  God  were  still  there 
with  the  old  enthusiasm  and  the  old  appetite  for 
solid  and  substantial  work. 

We  cannot  part  with  him  now  without  one  fond 
and  lingering  look  behind.  Burns,  Sandeman, 
Doty,  Douglas,  and  Talmage ;  what  a  galaxy  these 
early  pioneers  in  Amoy  were.  Few  churches  have 
had  such  gifts  from  God,  few  fields  more  devoted, 
whole-hearted  missionaries.  It  was  a  privilege  to 
know  them,  to  work  with  them,  to  learn  at  their 
feet,  unworthy  though  some  of  us  may  be  as  their 
successors. 

May  the  Lord  of  the  Harvest  rouse  His  own 
Church  by  their  memories  to  greater  energy  and 
self-denial  in  the  spread  of  His  Kingdom. 

Their  memories  will  never  die  in  China.  Those 
who  have  lately  visited  Amoy  tell  us  that  they  who 
knew  them  among  the  Chinese  Christians  speak 
lovingly  and  fondly  of  those  early  heroes.  And 
they  will  tell  their  children  what  they  were  and 
what  they  did,  and  so  generation  after  generation 
will  hear  the  story,  and  find  how  true  it  is  that 
workers  die,  but  their  work  never  dies.  "  Their 
works  do  follow  them." 


PASTOR   lAP. 


Ill  Menioriam.  277 

VENERABLE    TEACHER   TALMAGE, 
TRIBUTE  OF   PASTOR   lAP   HAN   CHIONG* 

Teacher  Talmage  was  very  gentle.  He  wished 
ever  to  be  at  peace  with  men.  If  he  saw  a  man  in 
error  he  used  words  of  meekness  in  convincing  and 
converting  the  man  from  his  error.  Whether  he 
exhorted,  encouraged  or  instructed,  liis  words  were 
words  of  prudence,  seasoned  with  salt,  so  that  men 
were  glad  to  receive  and  obey. 

Teacher  Talmage  was  a  lover  of  men.  When  he 
saw  a  man  in  distress  and  it  was  right  for  him  to 
help,  he  helped.  In  peril,  he  exerted  himself  to 
deliver  the  man  ;  in  weakness,  in  danger  of  falling, 
he  tried  to  uphold ;  suffering  oppression,  he  arose 
to  the  defense,  fearing  no  power,  but  contending 
earnestly  for  the  right. 

Teacher  Talmage  was  very  gracious  in  receiving 
men,  whether  men  of  position  or  the  common 
people.  He  treated  all  alike.  If  they  wished  to 
discuss  any  matter  with  him  and  get  his  advice,  he 
would  patiently  listen  to  their  tale.  If  he  had  any 
counsel  to  give,  he  gave  it.     If  he  felt  he  could  not 

*  Pastor  lap  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  Chinese  Church 
at  Amoy.  He  has  adorned  his  calling  with  the  abundant 
and  fruitful  labors  of  upwards  of  thirty  years. 


278  In  Memoriain. 


conscientiously  have  anything  to  do  with  the  affair, 
he  told  the  men  forthwith. 

He  could  pierce  through  \vordr,  and  see  through 
men's  countenances  and  judge  what  the  man  was, 
who  was  addressing  him. 

Teacher  Talmage  had  great  eloquence  and  pos- 
sessed great  intelligence.  His  utterance  was  clear, 
his  voice  powerful,  his  exposition  of  doctrine  very 
thorough.  Men  listened  and  the  truth  entered 
their  ears  and  their  hearts  understood. 

Teacher  Talmage  was  grave  in  manner.  He 
commanded  the  respect  and  praise  of  men.  His 
was  a  truly  ministerial  bearing.  Men  within  and 
without  the  Church  venerated  him. 

Sometimes  differences  between  brethren  arose. 
Teacher  Talmage  earnestly  exhorted  to  harmony. 
Even  serious  differences,  which  looked  beyond  heal- 
incr,  were  removed;  because  men  felt  constrained  to 
listen  to  his  counsel. 

Teacher  Talmage  was  exceedingly  diligent. 
When  not  otherwise  engaged,  morning  and  after- 
noon found  him  in  his  study  reading,  writing,  pre- 
paring sermons,  translating  books. 

He  preached  every  Sabbath.  He  conducted 
classes  of  catechumens.  He  founded  the  Girls' 
School  at  the  Church  "  Under  the  Bamboos."  He 
founded  the  Theological  Seminary.     Others  taught 


In  Memoriam.  279 


with  him,  but  he  was  the  master  spirit.  He  was 
ten  points  careful  that  everything  relating  to  the 
organization  and  administration  of  the  Church 
should  be  in  accordance  with  the  Holy  Book. 

Only  at  the  urgent  request  of  two  physicians  did 
he  finally  leave  China.  He  was  prepared  to  die 
and  to  be  buried  at  Amoy.  And  this  was  not  be- 
cause he  was  not  honored  in  his  ancestral  country, 
or  could  find  no  home.  No,  he  had  sons,  he  had  a 
brother,  he  had  nephews  and  nieces,  he  had  many 
relatives  and  friends  who  greatly  reverenced  and 
loved  him. 

But  Teacher  Talmage  could  not  bear  to  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  Church  in  China.  Surely  this  was 
imitating  the  heart  of  Christ.  Surely  this  was  lov- 
ing the  people  of  China  to  the  utmost. 


REV.   JOHN   VAN   NEST   TALMAGE,   D.D. 

BY   REV.   S.    L.    BALDWIN,   D.D., 

Recording   Secretary  of  the   Missionary   Society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

My  memory  of  Dr.  Talmage  dates  back  to  the 
year  1846.  I  was  then  but  eleven  years  old,  but  I 
remember  distinctly  the  earnestness  of  his  manner, 
as  he  preached  early  in  that  year  in  the  Second  Re- 


2  8o  In  Memoriam. 


formed  Church  of  Somerville,  New  Jersey.  His 
missionary  zeal  was  of  the  most  intense  character. 

I  was  present  at  the  Missionary  Convention,  at 
Millstone,  New  Jersey,  August  26,  1846,  and  saw 
him  ordained.  The  Rev.  Gabriel  Ludlow  preached 
from  2  Timothy  ii.  i,  and  the  charge  to  the  candi- 
date was  given  by  the  Rev.  Elihu  Doty,  of  Amoy. 
Mr.  Doty,  at  a  children's  meeting  in  the  afternoon, 
asked  us  whether  we  would  come  to  help  in  the 
missionary  work,  and  asked  us  to  write  down  the 
question  and  think  and  pray  about  it,  and  when  we 
had  made  up  our  minds  to  write  an  answer  under- 
neath the  question.  I  did  "  think  and  pray  about 
it,"  and  some  weeks  afterward,  under  a  sense  of 
duty,  wrote  "Yes"  under  it.  From  that  time  on, 
it  was  not  a  strange  thought  to  me,  to  go  to  China 
as  a  missionary  ;  and  when  the  call  came  in  1858,  I 
was  ready.  In  i860,  on  my  first  visit  to  Amoy,  I 
renewed  old  acquaintanceship,  and  during  my  twen- 
ty-two years  in  China  was  several  times  a  guest  in 
Dr.  Talmage's  family. 

He  was  in  the  very  front  rank  of  missionaries. 
For  ability,  for  fidelity,  for  usefulness,  he  had  few 
equals.  As  a  preacher,  he  was  clear,  forceful,  fear- 
less. As  a  translator,  his  work  was  marked  by  care- 
fulness and  accuracy.  In  social  life,  old-fashioned 
hospitality   made  every  one  feel  at  home,  and  one 


In  Memo7''iam.  281 


would  have  to  travel  far  to  find  a  more  animated 
and  interesting  conversationalist.  He  held  his  con- 
victions with  great  tenacity,  and  was  a  powerful 
debater,  but  always  courteous  to  his  opponents. 

Many  missionaries  fell  by  his  side,  or  were  obliged 
to  leave  the  field  ;  and  in  the  providence  of  God  he 
remained  until  he  was  the  oldest  of  all  the  Ameri- 
can missionaries  in  China.  His  was  a  most  pure 
and  honorable  record,  and  his  death  was  universal- 
ly lamented.  From  little  beginnings,  he  was  privi- 
leged to  see  one  of  the  most  flourishing  of  the  native 
communions  of  China  arise  and  attain  large  num- 
bers and  great  influence  among  the  Christian 
churches  of  the  empire. 

Such  a  history  and  such  a  record  are  to  be  covet- 
ed. May  the  Head  of  the  Church  raise  up  many 
worthy  successors  to  this  true  and  noble  man ! 


THE    REV.   J.   V.    N.    TALMAGE,    D.D. 

BY    REV.   TALBOT   W.   CHAMBERS,    D.D.,    LL.D., 

Pastor  of  the  Collegiate  Reformed  Chitrch,  New  York  City. 

My  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Talmage  began  at  a 
very  early  period.  During  the  years  1842-5  his 
father  was  Sheriff  of  Somerset  Co.,  N.  J.,  and  re- 
sided at  Somerville.  While  there  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  in  communion  of  the  Second  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church,  of  which  I  wns  pastor;  and 
from  them  I  heard  frequently  of  their  son  John, 
who  was  then  a  student  in  New  Brunswick. 

He  prosecuted  his  studies  in  the  College  and 
Theological  Seminary  with  zeal  and  success,  and 
was  duly  licensed,  and  then,  while  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  the  period  when  he  would  be  sent  to  join 
the  mission  in  China,  he  accepted  the  position  of 
assistant  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Brodhead,  who  at  that 
time  was  minister  of  the  Central  Church  of  Brook- 
lyn, Here  his  services  were  very  acceptable,  and 
the  training  under  such  an  experienced  man  of 
God  was   of  great  value  to  him.     His  course  was 

what  might  have  been  expected  of  one  reared  in  a 

(282) 


In  Memoriam.  283 


peculiarly  pious  household.  His  father  was  a 
cheerful  and  exemplary  Christian,  and  his  mother 
was  the  godliest  woman  I  ever  knew.  Her  religion 
pervaded  her  whole  being,  and  seemed  to  govern 
every  thought,  word,  and  deed,  yet  never  was  mor- 
bid or  overstrained.  The  robust  common  sense 
which  characterized  her  and  her  husband  descended 
in  full  measure  upon  their  son  John.  His  conse- 
cration to  the  mission  work  was  complete,  and  his 
interest  in  the  cause  was  very  deep,  but  it  never 
manifested  itself  in  unseemly  or  extravagant  ways. 
So  far  as  I  can  recall,  there  was  nothing  partic- 
ularly brilliant  or  original  in  the  early  sermons  or 
addresses  of  the  young  missionary — nothing  of 
those  wondrous  displays  of  word-painting,  imagina- 
tion, and  dramatic  power  which  have  made  his 
brother.  Dr.  T.  De  Witt  Talmage,  famous.  But 
there  was  a  mental  grasp,  a  force  and  a  fire  which 
often  induced  the  remark  that  he  was  too  good  to 
be  sent  to  the  heathen,  there  being  many  at  that 
time  who  labored  under  the  mistake  that  a  mis- 
sionar}'  did  not  require  to  be  a  man  of  unusual 
ability,  that  gifts  and  acquirements  were  thrown 
away  on  a  life  spent  among  idolaters.  Still,  while 
this  was  the  case,  none  of  his  friends  expected  that 
he  would  develop  such  marked  and  varied  power 
as  was  seen   in  his  entire  course  at  Amoy.     I  re- 


284  In  Memoriam. 


member  the  surprise  with  which  I  heard  the  late 
Dr.  Swanson,  of  London,  say  from  his  own  obser- 
vation during  ten  years  of  the  closest  intercourse 
at  Amoy,  that  Dr.  Talmage  was  equally  distin- 
guished and  efficient  in  every  part  of  the  mission- 
ary's work,  whether  in  preaching  the  Word,  or 
translating  the  Scriptures,  or  creating  a  Chris- 
tian literature,  or  training  native  workers.  Noth- 
ing seemed  to  come  amiss  to  him ;  everywhere 
he  was  facile  princrps.  I  suppose  that  the  ex- 
planation is  found  in  his  thorough  and  unre- 
served consecration.  He  was  given  heart  and  soul 
to  the  work.  Whatever  he  did  was  done  with  his 
whole  mind.  There  was  no  vacillation  or  indeci- 
sion, but  a  deliberate  concentration  of  all  his  facul- 
ties upon  the  task  set  before  him.  Nor  did  he 
work  by  spurts  or  through  temporary  enthusiasm, 
but  with  a  steady,  unyielding  determination.  So 
he  went  on  through  life  without  haste  and  without 
rest,  doing  his  best  at  all  times  and  in  every  species 
of  service,  and  thus  earning  the  brilliant  reputation 
he  acquired.  The  same  qualities  rendered  him  as 
wise  in  counsel  as  he  was  efficient  in  working.  He 
was  able  to  look  on  both  sides  of  a  given  problem, 
was  not  inclined  to  snap  judgments,  but  preferred 
to  discriminate,  to  weigh,  and,  if  need  be,  to  wait. 
Yet,  when  the  time  came,  the  decision  was  ready. 


In  Me?7zoriam.  285 


He  perceived  earlier  than  his  brethren  at  home 
the  true  poHcy  as  to  churches  in  heathen  lands, 
that  is,  that  they  should  not  be  mere  continuations 
of  the  denomination  whose  missionaries  had  been 
the  means  of  founding  them,  but  should  have  an 
independent  existence  and  grow  upon  the  soil 
where  they  were  planted,  taking  such  form  and 
order  as  Providence  might  suggest.  When  the 
proposal  was  made  in  accordance  with  these  views 
to  build  up  a  native  Chinese  Church  strictly  auton- 
omous, there  was  an  immediate  revulsion.  The 
General  Synod  in  1863  emphatically  declined  to 
consent,  not,  however,  from  denominational  bigot^'y, 
but  on  the  ground  that  the  new  converts  must 
have  some  standards  of  faith  and  order,  and,  if  so, 
why  not  ours,  which  had  been  tested  by  centuries? 
And,  moreover,  if  they  were  to  be  regarded  as  an 
integral  part  of  the  Church  at  home,  that  fact 
would  prove  to  be  a  powerful  incitement  to  prayer 
and  liberality  on  the  part  of  our  people.  But  the 
rebuff  did  not  dishearten  Dr.  Talmage.  He  re- 
newed the  appeal  the  next  year,  and  had  the  satis 
faction  of  seeing  it  succeed.  Full  consent  was  given 
to  the  aim  to  build  up  a  strong,  self-governing,  and, 
as  soon  as  might  be,  self-supporting  body  of  native 
churches  in  China,  who  should  leave  behind  the 
prejudices  of  the  past,  and  form  themselves  under 


2  86  In  Memoriam. 

the  teaching  of  God's  Spirit  and  Providence  in 
such  way  as  would  best  meet  the  demands  of  the 
time  and  be  most  eflficient  in  advancing  the  King- 
dom of  God  upon  the  earth.  The  consequences 
have  been  most  happy.  The  missionaries  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  have  cordially  co-operated  in 
renouncing  all  denominational  interests  and  giving 
all  diligence  to  the  forming  of  what  might  be  called 
a  Chinese  Christian  Church,  freed  from  any  exter- 
nal bond  and  at  liberty  to  shape  its  own  character 
and  course  under  the  guidance  of  the  Divine  Spirit. 
The  experiment  has  been  entirely  successful,  and 
stands  conspicuous  as  a  testimony  to  the  true 
policy  of  carrying  on  missionary  work  in  countries 
where  there  is  already  an  antique  civilization  and 
certain  social  habits  which  need  to  be  taken 
account  of. 

Dr.  Talmage  always  kept  himself  in  touch  with 
the  Church  at  home  by  correspondence  or  by  per- 
sonal intercourse.  His  visits  to  America  were  in 
every  case  utilized  to  the  fullest  extent,  save  when 
hindered  by  impaired  health. 

It  is  m.atter  of  joyful  congratulation  that  he  was 
permitted  to  finish  the  usual  term  of  man's  years 
in  the  missionary  field.  Others  of  our  eminent 
men,  such  as  Abeel,  Thompson,  Doty,  and  Pohl- 
man,  were  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  their  days.     But 


In  Memoriam.  287 


he  spent  a  full  lifetime,  dying  not  by  violence  or 
accident,  but  only  when  the  bodily  frame  had  been 
worn  out  in  the  natural  course  of  events.  Our 
Church  has  been  signally  favored  of  God  in  the 
gifts  and  character  and  work  of  the  men  she  has 
sent  into  the  foreign  field — and  this  not  merely  in 
the  partial  judgment  of  their  denominational 
brethren,  but  in  the  deliberate  opinion  of  such 
competent  and  experienced  observers  as  the  late 
Dr.  Anderson,  of  the  American  Board,  and  the  late 
S.  Wells  Williams,  the  famous  Chinese  scholar ;  * 
but  I  think  that  none  of  them,  neither  Abeel  nor 
Thompson,  surpassed  Dr.  Talmage  in  any  of  the 
qualities,  natural  or  acquired,  which  go  to  make  an 
accomplished  missionary  of  the  cross.  I  enjoyed 
the  personal  acquaintance  of  them  all,  having  been 
familiar  with  the  progress  of  the  work  from  the 
time  when  (October,  1832)  our  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  was  established,  and  therefore  am  able  to 
form  an  intelligent  opinion.  Our  departed  brother 
can  no  more  raise  his  voice,  either  at  home  or 
abroad,  but  his  work  remains,  and  his  memory  will 
never  die.     For  long  years  to  come  his  name  will 

*  One  remark  of  Dr.  S.  Wells  Williams  is  worth  reproduc 
ing:  "I  think,  myself,  after  more  than  forty  years'  per- 
sonal acquaintance  with  hundreds  of  missionaries  in  China, 
that  David  Abeel  v^dA  facile  princeps  among  them  all." — 
Prcsb.  Review,  II.  49. 


288  In  MemoiHam. 


be  fragrant  in  the  hearts  of  our  people;  and  his 
lifelong  consecration  to  the  enterprise  of  the 
world's  conversion  will  prove  an  example  and  a 
stimulus  to  this  and  the  coming  generation.  The 
equipoise  of  his  mind,  the  solidity  of  his  character, 
the  strength  of  his  faith,  the  brightness  of  his  hope, 
the  simple,  steadfast  fidelity  of  his  devotion  to  the 
Master,  will  speak  trumpet-tongued  to  multitudes 
who  never  saw  his  face  in  the  flesh.  The  unadorned 
story  of  his  life,  what  he  was  and  what  he  did  by 
the  grace  of  God,  will  cheer  the  hearts  of  all  the 
friends  of  foreign  missions,  and  win  others  to  a  just 
esteem  of  the  cause  which  could  attract  such  a 
man  to  its  service  and  animate  him  to  such  a  con- 
spicuous and  blessed  career. 


REV.   JOHN   VAN    NEST   TALMAGE,   D.D. 

BY   REV.  JOHN   M.    FERRIS,   D.D., 

Editor  of  the  "  Christ ian  Intelligencer  "  and  ex-Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Foreign    Missions  of  the  American   Re- 
formed Church. 

Circumstances  which  tested  character,  abihty, 
and  attainments  brought  me  into  intimate  rela- 
tions with  Rev.  Dr.  John  V.  N.  Talmage.  The 
impressions  I  received  are  these:  He  was  emi- 
nently of  a  sunny  disposition.  A  smile  was  on 
his  face  and  laughter  in  his  eyes  almost  all  day 
long.  He  was  conspicuously  cheerful  and  hopeful. 
The  strength  of  his  character  was  unusual  and 
would  bear  victoriously  very  severe  tests.  Mental 
and  moral  ability  of  a  very  high  order  marked  his 
participation  in  public  exercises  and  his  demeanor 
in  social  life.  It  seemed  to  me  that  in  mind  and 
heart  there  were  in  him  the  elements  of  greatness. 
Greatness  he  never  sought,  but  avoided.  Still, 
from    the   time   succeeding  the    opening  years  of 

his  ministry,  he   was  a   leader   among  men   until 

(289) 


2go  In  Memormm. 


seized  with  the  long  ilhiess  which  terminated  his 
useful  life.  Those  who  knew  him  appointed  him 
one  of  their  chief  counsellors  and  guides,  and  in 
any  assembly  where  he  was  comparatively  unknown 
he  was  accepted  as  a  leading  mind  as  soon  as  he 
had  taken  part  in  its  discussions.  A  wide  range  of 
knowledge  was  his.  It  was  surprising  how  he  had 
maintained  an  acquaintance  with  the  research  and 
discovery  of  his  day  while  secluded  in  China  from 
the  life  of  the  Western  nations.  With  all  this  his 
intercourse  with  men  was  marked  by  modesty  and 
the  absence  of  ostentatious  display.  The  defer- 
ence with  which  he  treated  the  opinions  of  others 
and  of  his  manner  in  presenting  his  knowledge  and 
convictions  to  an  audience  was  extraordinary.  He 
was  courteously  inquisitive,  seeking  from  others 
what  they  knew  and  thought,  and  this  oftentimes, 
perhaps  habitually,  with  men  much  his  inferiors. 
Such  a  man  would  be  expected  to  be  tolerant  of 
the  opinions  of  others,  and  this  he  was  eminently, 
although  his  own  convictions  were  clear,  strongly 
held,  earnestly  presented  and  advocated.  How 
often  we  heard  him  say,  "  So  I  think,"  or  "  So  it 
seems  to  me,  but  I  may  be  wrong." 

Accuracy  in  statement  was  sought  for  by  him 
constantly,  sometimes  to  the  detriment  of  his  pub- 
lic addresses.     When  we  who  were  familiar  with 


In  Memoriam.  291 


him  were  humorous  at  his  expense,  it  was  almost 
invariably  in  relation  to  this  constant  endeavor  to 
be  accurate,  which  led  now  and  then  to  qualifica- 
tions of  his  words  that  were  decidedly  amusing.  He 
was  animated,  earnest,  and  strong  in  public  ad- 
dresses. His  mind  was  active ;  apt  to  take  an 
independent,  original  view,  and  vigorous.  His 
sermons  were  often  very  impressive  and  powerful. 
Few  who  heard  in  whole  or  in  part  his  discourse 
on  the  words,  "  The  world  by  wisdom  knew  not 
God"  —  an  extemporaneous  sermon — will  forget 
the  terse,  vigorous  sentences  which  came  from  his 
lips.  It  was,  I  believe,  the  last  sermon  he  pre- 
pared in  outline  to  be  delivered  to  our  churches 
in  this  country.     It  was  full  of  power  and  life. 

Dr.  Talmage  was  a  Christian  and  a  Christian  gen- 
tleman everywhere  and  always.  It  seemed  as  nat- 
ural to  him  to  be  a  Christian  as  to  breathe.  Con- 
scientious piety  marked  his  daily  life. 

He  was  a  delightful  companion  through  his  gen- 
tleness, sympathy,  wide  range  of  knowledge,  cheer- 
fulness, animated  and  earnest  speech,  vigor  of 
thought  and  expression,  deference  for  the  opin- 
ions and  rights  of  others,  and  unselfishness.  He 
asked  nothing,  demanded  nothing  for  himself,  but 
was  alert  to  contribute  to  the  enjoyment  of  those 
around  him.     The  work  of  his  life  was  of  inestima- 


292  In  Menwriai7i. 


ble  value.  He  was  abundant  in  labors.  Only  the 
life  to  come  will  reveal  how  much  he  accom- 
plished which  in  the  highest  sense  was  worthy  of 
accomplishment.  Those  who  knew  him  best,  es- 
teemed, loved,  and  trusted  him  the  most. 


APPENDIX. 


(293) 


APPENDIX. 

Ecclesiastical  Relations  of  Presbyterian  Missionaries, 

specially  of  the  Presbyterian  Missionaries 

at  Afnoy,  China. 

BY    REV.  J.   V.   N.   TALMAGE,   D.D. 

We  have  recently  received  letters  making  inquiries  concern- 
ing the  Relations  of  the  Missionaries  of  the  English  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  of  the  American  Reformed  Church  to  the 
Tai-hoey  [Presbytery,  or  Classis,]  of  Amoy  ;  stating  views  on 
certain  points  connected  with  the  general  subject  of  the  organ- 
ization of  ecclesiastical  Judicatories  on  Mission  ground  ;  and 
asking  our  views  on  the  same.  We  have  thought  it  best  to 
state  our  answer  so  as  to  cover  the  whole  subject  of  these 
several  suggestions  and  inquiries,  as  (though  they  are  from 
different  sources)  they  form  but  one  subject. 

Our  views  are  not  hasty.  They  are  the  result  of  much 
thought,  experience  and  observation.  But  we  are  now  com- 
pelled to  throw  them  together  in  much  more  haste  than  we 
could  wish,  for  which,  we  trust,  allowance  will  be  made. 

As  preliminary  we  remark  that  we  have  actual  and  practical 
relations  both  to  the  home  churches,  and  to  the  churches 
gathered  here,  and  our  Ecclesiastical  relations  should  corre- 
spond thereto. 

I .  Our  Relation  to  the  Home  Churches.  We  are  their  agents, 
sent  by  them  to  do  a  certain  work,  and  supported  by  them  in  the 
doing  of  that  work.  Therefore  so  long  as  this  relation  con- 
tinues, in  all  matters  affecting  our  qualifications  for  that  work, 
— of  course  including  "  matters  affecting  ministerial  charac- 
ter,"— we  should  remain  subject  to  their  jurisdiction.     In  ac- 

(295) 


296  Appendix. 

cordance  with  this  we  retain  our  connection  with  our  respect- 
ive home  Presbyteries  or  Classes. 

2.  Our  Relation  to  the  C/iurch  here.  We  are  the  actual 
pastors  of  the  churches  growing  up  under  our  care,  until  they 
are  far  enough  advanced  to  have  ns,tive  pastors  set  over  them. 
The  first  native  pastors  here  were  ordained  by  the  missionaries 
to  the  office  of  "  Minister  of  the  Word,"  the  same  office  that 
we  ourselves  hold.  In  all  subsequent  ordinations,  and  other 
ecclesiastical  matters,  the  native  pastors  have  been  associated 
with  the  missionaries.  The  Tai-hoey  at  Amoy,  in  this  man- 
ner, gradually  grew  up  with  perfect  parity  between  the  native 
and  foreign  members. 

With  these  preliminary  statements  we  proceed  to  notice  the 
suggestions  made  and  questions  propounded.  "  To  extend  to 
the  native  churches  on  mission  ground  the  lines  of  separation 
which  exist  among  Presbyterian  bodies  "  in  home  lands  is  ac- 
knowledged to  be  a  great  evil.  To  avoid  this  evil,  and  to 
"  bring  all  the  native  Presbyterians,"  in  the  same  locality,  "in- 
to one  organization,"  two  plans  are  suggested  to  us. 

The  first  plan  suggested  (perhaps  we  should  say  mentioned, 
for  it  is  not  advocated),  we  take  to  be  that  the  missionaries 
become  not  only  members  of  the  ecclesiastical  judicatories 
formed  on  mission  ground,  but  also  amenable  to  those  judica- 
tories in  the  same  way,  and  /;/  ez'cry  respect,  as  their  native 
members,  their  ecclesiastical  relation  to  their  home  churches 
being  entirely  severed.  This  plan  ignores  the  actual  relation 
of  missionaries  to  their  home  churches,  as  spoken  of  above. 
Surely  the  home  churches  cannot  afford  this. 

Perhaps  we  should  notice  another  plan  sometimes  acted  on, 
but  not  mentioned  in  the  letters  we  have  now  received.  It  is 
that  the  missionaries  become  members  of  the  Mission  Church 
Judicatories  as  above  ;  but  that  these  Judicatories  be  organ- 
ized as  parts  of  the  home  churches,  so  that  the  missionaries 
will  still  be  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  home  churches 
through  the  subjection  of  the  Mission  Judicatories  to  the  higher 
at  home.  This  plan  can  only  work  during  the  infancy  of  the 
mission  churches,  while  the  ivlission  Church  Judicatories  are 


Appendix.  297 

still  essentially  foreign  in  tlieir  constituents.  Soon  the  juris- 
diction will  be  very  imperfect.  This  imperfection  will  increase 
as  fast  as  the  mission  churches  increase.  Moreover  this  plan 
will  extend  to  the  native  churches  the  evil  deprecated  above. 

The  second  plan  suggested  we  take  to  be  that  the  mission- 
aries, while  they  remain  the  agents  of  the  home  churches, 
should  retain  their  relation  respectively  to  their  home  churches, 
and  have  only  an  advisory  relation  to  the  Presbytery  on  mis- 
sion ground.  This  is  greatly  to  be  preferred  to  the  first  plan 
suggested.  It  corresponds  to  the  relation  of  missionaries  to 
their  respective  home  churches.  It  takes  into  consideration 
also,  but  docs  not  fully  correspond  to  the  relation  of  the  mis- 
sionaries to  the  churches  on  mission  ground,  at  least  does  not 
fully  correspond  to  the  relation  of  the  missionaries  to  the  na- 
tive churches  at  Amoy.  Our  actual  relation  to  these  churches 
seems  to  us  to  demand  that  as  yet  we  take  part  with  the  native 
pastors  in  their  government. 

The  peculiar  relationship  of  the  missionaries  to  Tai-hoty, 
viz.,  having  full  membership,  without  being  subject  to  disci- 
pline by  that  body, — is  temporary,  arising  from  the  circum- 
stances of  this  infant  church,  and  rests  on  the  will  of  Tai-Jiocy. 
This  relationship  has  never  been  discussed,  or  even  suggested 
for  discussion  in  that  body,  so  that  our  view  of  what  is,  or 
would  be,  the  opinion  of  Tai-hoey  on  the  subject  we  gather 
from  the  whole  character  of  the  working  of  that  body  from  its 
first  formation,  and  from  the  whole  spirit  manifested  by  the 
native  members.  Never  till  last  year  has  there  been  a  case  of 
discipline  even  of  a  native  member  of  Tai-hoey.  We  do  not 
know  that  the  thought  that  occasion  may  also  arise  for  the 
discipline  of  missionaries,  has  ever  suggested  itself  to  any  of 
the  native  members.  If  it  has,  we  have  no  doubt  they  have 
taken  for  granted  that  the  discipline  of  missionaries  belongs  to 
the  churches  which  have  sent  them  here.  But  we  also  have 
no  doubt  that  Tai-hoiy  would  exercise  the  right  of  refusing 
membership  to  any  missionary  if  necessary. 

It  is  suggested  as  an  objection  to  the  plan  that  has  been 
adopted  by  the  missionaries  at  Amoy,  that  "  where  two  Pres- 


298  Appendix. 

byteries  have  jurisdiction  over  one  man,  it  may  not  be  always 
easy  to  define  the  Hne  where  the  jurisdiction  of  the  one  ends 
and  the  other  begms ;  and  for  the  foreign  Presbyter  to  have  a 
control  over  the  native  Presbyter  which  the  native  cannot  re- 
ciprocate, would  be  anomalous,  and  contrary  to  that  view  of 
the  parity  of  Presbyters  which  the  Scriptures  present." 

From  our  last  paragraph  above  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
"line"  of  demarcation  alluded  to  in  the  first  half  of  the  above 
objection  has  certainly  never  yet  been  defined  by  Tai-hoey, 
but  it  will  be  seen  likewise  that  we  have  no  apprehension  of 
any  practical  difficulty  in  the  matter.  The  last  half  of  the  ob- 
jection looks  more  serious,  for  if  our  plan  really  involves  a  vio- 
lation of  the  doctrine  of  the  parity  of  the  ministry,  this  is  a 
very  serious  objection — -fatal,  indeed,  unless  perhaps  the  tem- 
porary character  of  the  arrangement  might  give  some  suffer- 
ance to  it  in  a  developing  church.  It  does  not,  however  in 
our  opinion,  involve  any  such  doctrine.  It  does  not  touch  that 
doctrine  at  all. 

The  reason  why  Tai-Jioey  dots  not  claim  the  right  of  disci- 
pline over  the  missionaries  is  not  because  these  are  of  a  higher 
order  than  the  other  members,  but  because  the  missionaries 
have  a  most  important  relation  to  the  home  churches  which 
the  other  members  have  not.  The  Tai-hoey  respects  the 
rights  of  those  churches  which  have  sent  and  are  still  sending 
the  Gospel  here,  and  has  fullest  confidence  that  they  will  ex- 
ercise proper  discipline  over  their  missionaries.  Whether 
they  do  this  or  not,  the  power  of  the  Tai-hoey  to  cut  off  from 
its  membership,  or  refuse  to  admit  thereto,  any  missionary  who 
might  prove  himself  unworthy,  gives  ample  security  to  that 
body  and  secures  likewise  the  benefits  of  discipline.  If  time 
allowed  us  to  give  a  full  description  of  our  Church  work  here, 
it  would  be  seen  that  the  doctrine  of  the  parity  of  all  who  hold 
the  ministerial  office  so  thoroughly  permeates  the  whole,  that 
it  would  seem  impossible  for  mistake  to  arise  on  that  point. 

In  connection  with  this  subject  it  is  also  remarked  "  that 
where  two  races  are  combined  in  a  Presbytery,  there  is  a  tend- 
ency to  divide  on  questions  according  to  the  line  of  race." 


Appendix.  299 

With  gratitude  to  God  we  are  able  to  bear  testimony  that  at 
Amoy  we  have  not  as  yet  seen  the  first  sign  of  such  tend- 
ency. We  have  heard  of  such  tendency  in  some  other  mission 
fields.  Possibly  it  may  yet  be  manifested  here.  This,  how- 
ever, does  not  now  seem  probable.  The  native  members  of 
Tai-hocy,  almost  from  the  first,  Iiave  outnumbered  the  for- 
eign. The  disproportion  now  is  as  tliree  or  four  to  one,  and 
must  continue  to  increase.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  tliat 
there  will  now  be  no  occasion  for  jealousy  of  the  missionaries' 
influence  to  grow  up  on  the  part  of  the  native  members. 

But,  it  may  be  asked,  if  the  native  members  so  far  outnum- 
ber the  foreign,  of  what  avail  is  it  that  missionaries  be  more 
than  advisory  members.?  We  answer:  If  we  are  in  Tai-hocy 
as  a  foreign  party,  in  opposition  to  the  native  members,  even 
advisory  membership  will  be  of  no  avail.  But  if  we  are  there 
in  our  true  character,  as  we  always  have  been,  viz.,  as  Pres- 
byters and  acting  pastors  of  churches,  part  and  parcel  of  the 
church  Judicatories,  on  perfect  equality  and  in  full  sympathy 
with  the  native  Presbyters,  our  membership  may  be  of  much 
benefit  to  Taz-hoiy.  It  must  be  of  benefit  if  our  theory  of 
Church  Government  be  correct. 

Of  the  benefit  of  such  membership  we  give  one  illustration, 
equally  applicable  also  to  other  forms  of  government.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  assemblies  conducted  on  parliamentary 
principles  were  unknown  in  China.  By  our  full  and  equal 
membership  of  Taz'-hoey,  being  associated  with  the  native 
members  in  the  various  offices,  and  in  all  kinds  of  committees, 
the  native  members  have  been  more  efficiently  instructed  in 
the  manner  of  conducting  business  in  such  assemblies,  than 
they  could  have  been  if  we  had  only  given  them  advice.  At 
the  first,  almost  the  whole  business  was  necessarily  managed 
by  the  missionaries.  Not  so  now.  The  missionaries  still  take 
an  active  part  even  in  the  routine  of  business,  not  so  much 
to  guard  against  error  or  mistake,  as  for  the  purpose  of  sa\ing 
time  and  inculcating  the  importance  of  regularity  and  prompti- 
tude. Even  the  earnestness  with  which  the  missionaries  dif- 
fer from  each  other,  so  contrary  to  the  duplicity  supposed  nee- 


300  Appendix. 

essary  by  the  rules  of  Chinese  poh"teness,  has  not  been  without 
great  benefit  to  the  native  members.  Instead  of  there  being 
any  jealousy  of  the  position  occupied  by  the  missionaries  on 
the  part  of  the  native  members,  the  missionaries  withdraw 
themselves  from  prominent  positions,  and  throw  the  responsi- 
bility on  the  native  members,  as  fast  as  duty  to  Tai-hoey  SQtvci'=> 
to  allow,  faster  than  the  native  members  wish. 

We  now  proceed  to  give  answers  to  the  definite  questions 
propounded  to  us,  though  answers  to  some  of  them  have  been 
implied  in  the  preceding  remarks.  We  combine  the  questions 
from  different  sources,  and  slightly  change  the  wording  of  them 
to  suit  the  form  of  this  paper,  and  for  convenience  we  number 
them. 

1.  "Are  the  missionaries  members  of  Tai-hoey  in  full, 
and  on  a  perfect  equality  with  the  native  members  ?  " 

Answer.  Yes ;  with  the  exception  (if  it  be  an  exception) 
implied  in  the  answer  to  the  next  question. 

2.  "Are  missionaries  subject  to  discipline  by  the  Tai- 
hoey  ?  " 

Answer.  No ;  except  that  their  relation  to  Tai-hoey  may 
be  severed  bv  that  body. 

3.  "  Is  it  not  likely  that  the  sooner  the  native  churches  be- 
come self-governing,  the  sooner  they  will  be  self-supporting 
and  self-propagating  .'* " 

Answer.  Yes.  It  would  be  a  great  misfortune  for  the  na- 
tive churches  to  be  governed  by  the  missionaries,  or  by  the 
home  churches.  We  think  also  it  would  be  a  great  misfortune 
for  the  missionary  to  refuse  all  connection  with  the  govern- 
ment of  the  mission  churches  while  they  are  in  whole  or  in 
part  dependent  on  him  for  instruction,  administration  of  the 
ordinances,  and  pastoral  oversight.  Self-support,  self-gov- 
ernment, and  self-propagation  are  intimately  related,  acting 
and  reacting  on  each  other,  and  the  native  Church  should  be 
trained  in  them  from  the  beginning  of  its  existence. 

4.  "  Is  it  the  opinion  of  missionaries  at  Amoy  that  the  na- 
tive Presbyters  are  competent  to  manage  the  affairs  of  Presby- 
tery, and  could  they  safely  be  left  to  do  so  1 " 


Appendix.  30 1 

Answer.  Yes ;  the  native  Presbyters  seem  to  us  to  be  fully 
competent  to  manage  the  affairs  of  Presbytery,  and  we  sup- 
pose It  would  be  sate  to  leave  them  to  do  this  entirely  by 
themselves,  if  the  providence  of  God  should  so  direct.  We 
think  it  much  better,  however,  unless  the  providence  of  God 
direct  otherwise,  that  the  missionaries  contmue  their  present 
relation  to  the  Tai-Jioey  until  the  native  Church  is  iarther 
developed. 

5.  "  Is  it  likely  that  there  can  be  but  one  Presbyterian 
Church  in  China.?  or  are  differences  of  dialect,  etc.,  such  as  to 
make  different  organizations  necessary  and  inevitable  ?  " 

Answer.  All  Presbyterians  in  China,  as  far  as  circum- 
stances will  allow,  should  unite  in  one  Church  organization. 
By  all  means  avoid  a  plurality  of  Presbyterian  denominations 
in  the  same  locality.  But  differences  of  dialect  and  distance  of 
separation  seem  at  present  to  forbid  the  formation  of  one  Pres- 
byterian organization  for  the  whole  of  China.  Even  though 
in  process  ot  time  these  difficulties  be  greatly  overcome,  it 
would  seem  that  the  vast  number  of  the  people  will  continue 
to  render  such  formation  impracticable,  except  on  some  such 
principle  as  that  on  which  is  formed  the  Pan-Presbyterian 
Council.  One  Presbyterian  Church  for  China  would  be  very 
much  (not  entirely)  like  one  Presbyterian  Church  for  Europe. 


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